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977.701
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1555854

GENEALOGY COLLECTICM

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

3 1833 01081 0643

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HISTORICA

AHD l/'

REMIKISCENCES

CHICKASAW COUNTY,
IOWA.

BY J. H. FQY/ERS.

DES MOINES:

IOWA PRINTI>:G COMPANY.

1894.

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15v55854

Bcbication,

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
TO THE
OLD SETTLERS, WUu WADED SLOUGHS, SWAM
STREAMS, BREASTED THE STORMS OF
WINTER, LIVED ON CORN MEAL,
AND GREETED ALL COMERS
WITH GENUINE HOS-
PITALITY.
BY THE AUTHOR.

{preface.

^fl^^^HE pages following do not pretend
Hrg!;;^ to reach the dignity of history, bat

f-iP^*^ only ?o rehearsal of e\*ent3 that were
X^* of interest at the time, and which are
\ now recalled w-ith the zest that tinie

^ brings to events long past. In some
raeasnre, they show the way new settlers
meet the loneliness of a new country, and
how, out of hardship, they extracted recrea-
tion, and how crude character is developed
and made to play a ptirt in crystallizing a
forming civilization. They recall some of
the notable actors that took part in the open-
ing up of the county, and in reducing a wild,
wet and unattractive wilderness, to comfort-
able homes and productive fields. To the
writer they recall xperiences that are
revived with interest, repeated with pleas-
ure, and recorded with pride.

•ff&wa.

j|^f^j|IIE territor}^ embraced within the
jM.® pi'Gsent state of Iowa, is but a fraction
^A^ of the vast domain oric^inallj" discov-
fe ered by French Jesuit missionaries dur-
T ing their frequent early incursions into
the wilds of the Xorthwest, and taken
possession of and annexed as French terri-
tory by right of discovery.

In the year 1763, after almost a hundred
years of peaceful possession, France ceded
to the Spaniards all of her possessions lying
beyond the Mississippi river, and this vast
rich territory remained under the manage-
ment of Spanish authorities until the begin-
ning of the present century when it again
came into the pos-session of France.

In 1S03 the treaty known as the "Louisi-
ana Purchase" was consummated, whereby
France, in consideration of $15,000,000 relin-
quished all her rights and title to the terri-
tory beyond the Mississippi river west to an
indefinite boundary.

0 HIbTOKlCAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

0\ the 31st of October, 1S03, congress
passed an act providing that all military,
judicial and civil powers exercised in gov-
erning this new acquisition should be "vested
in such persons and exercised in such man-
ner as the president of the United States
shall direct."

A year later (1S04) the territory was divided,
that part lying south of the o3d parallel
becoming the Territory of Orleans, and that
portion north of said line the District of
Louisiana. The executive government of
the latter division was placed under the con-
trol of General AVilliam Henry Harrison,
then governor of Indiana, and the judiciary
under the direction of the judges of Indiana
Territory.

In 1805 congress again made an important
change. On the 4th day of July of that year
this district became the Territory of Louisi-
ana, with executive and judicial powers vested
in a governor and three judges, to be
appointed bj^the president, with the consent
of the senate.

December 7, 1S12, the territor}^ again
underwent a great change, on that day
becoming the Territory of ^lissouri, with
the addition of an important factor in its

CHICKA<A\V COUNTY, IOWA. V

government, tliat of a legislative depart-
ment, con^iisting of a council and house of
representatives, the Intter composed of one
representative for every tive hundred free
white male inhabitants, to be elected every
two years by the votes of free white male
tax-paying citizens- The council consisting
of nine members, was to be chosen by the
president of the United States (with the
approval of the Senate) from citizens resi-
dents of the territory, for an ofiicial term of
five years. Vetoing power, absolute, wvis
vested in the governor.

Congress, however, on the 29th da}' of
April, 1S16, enlarged the power of the people,
granting, among other concessions, the right
of popular vote to select council.

March 4. 1S21, congress passed an act
defining the boundaries of Missouri, and it
was admitted as a state- This division lefl
all that vast expanse of territory of vvhicf
the present states of Iowa, Wisconsin ana
Minnesota are a part, again directly under
the jurisdiction of congress, in which condi-
tion it seems to have remained until the
middle of 1834, when it was attached to the
Territory of Michigan.

Only as a matter of history, however, had

10 niSTOKICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

these f]^ieat changes affected in the least
what i.>s now known as Iowa, for it was not
until the year ISo-i*. the year previous to
annexation to Michigan, that white people
maaifesteJ any special interest in its settle-
ment.

The Territory of Wisconsin was organized
on the 3d day of Jul}', lSo6, carrying with it
the two counties of Demoine and Dubuque.

The relationship thus existing between
the counties of Wisconsin under one terri-
torial government, of the people v^est of the
Mississippi river, terminated July 3, 1S3S,
with the organization of the general govern-
ment, of the people west of the Mississippi
river, into a separate territory to be known
by the name of IOWA.

President Van Buren appointed Robert
Lucas, of Ohio, Governor, and William B.
Conway, of Pennsylvania, Territorial Secre-
tary.

The seventh Territorial Assembly passed
an act providing for the holding of a consti-
tutional con\ention, and designated April (^,
]J^4(>, as the date for the election of delegates.
This conventi(3n convened at Iowa City on
May 4th of same year, and adjourned May
19th, after formulating a constitution which

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 11

was afterwards ratified and adopted b}' the
people at au election held August o, 1S4G, by
the small majority of four hundred and fifty-
six votes.

Under this constitution the State of Iowa
was admitted as tlie twenty-ninth State of
the Federal Union, on the 2'Sth day of Decem-
ber, 1S46, and the first State election held on
the 26th day of October, 1S46, so as to be
ready to assume Statehood on Congre3S pass-
ing an enabling act.

12 HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCENCES OF

6bichasa\v County* .

Chickasaw county was first created as a
political sub-uivision of the State of Iowh, in
1S51, by Chapter 0, of the Acts of the Third
General Assembly, Sectiouoo of which reads
as follows: '"That the followirif^ shall be the
boimdaiios of a new count}', which shall be
called Chickasaw, to-wit: Beginning at the
northwest corner of township 97, range 10;
thence west to the northwest corner of
township 97, range 14; thence south to the
southwest corner of township 94, range 14;
thence east to the southwest corner of town-
ship 94, range 10; thence to the place of
beginning." which act was approved on the
15th day of January, A. D. 1S51.

By Chapter 120 of the xVcts of the Fourth
General Assemby the boundaries of Cliicka-
saw county were changed as follows:

" Sec. 1. Be it enacted hj the General Assernhlij
of the State of loina. That the north hall" of town-
ship 97, of rmi2'cs number 11, 12, 13 and 11, fol-
lowinir the line of tlie United States iub-division

CniCnA<AW COUNTY, IOWA. 13

thereof shall be. and the same are hereby, detached
from Chickasaw county, and attached to Howard."

B^^ the Acts of the Fourth Geueral Assem-
bly, Chapter 12, approved January 12th.
1S53, Chickasaw county was "attached to
Fayette county for election, revenue and
judicial purposes."

By Section 1 of this Act "the counties of
:Mitchelh Howard, Floyd, Worth and Fi-ank-
lin were attached to the county of Chicka-
saw."

OEGANIZATIOX OF CHICKASAW COUNTY.

A PETITION having been presented to the

county judge of Fayette county, asking that

the county of Chickasaw be organized, the

judge issued his w*arrant on the 31st day of

June, 1S53, as follows:

State of Iowa, }
Fayetie County, f

John Bird — Sir: By virtue of power vested
in me by the Code of Iowa I have this day
appointed you oroanizing sheriff for the orjraniza-
tion of Chickasaw county. You are hereby required
to post up at least five written notices in said
county, that on the first Monday iu Au<]:u3t tiitre
will be an election held at the house of E. A.

14 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

Haskell iu the towu of Bradford, for the purpose
of organizino; said county and electing county offi-
cers, as follows, to-wit: County juds^e, district
clerk, recorder and treasurer, school fund commis-
sioner, prosecutino^ attorney, sheriff, coroner,
and county surveyor; and also one justice of the
peace, three township trustees and town clerk, and
make due returns to me of the same at my office
in West Union. The above mentioned notices to
be posted up at least ten days prior to the election.
Thomas Woodle, County Judge.
June 30, 1853.

In pursuance of this commission an
attempt was made to organize the county in
August, IS-jC, and officers were elected, but
not in accordance \/ith the wishes of the
organising sheriff, and as the easiest way to
prevent the opposition getting control of
the county no return was made, and as a
consequence no power was given to those
elected to pe»^form the functions of their
office.

Acting under the same authority the
organizing sheriff called an election on the
ord day of April, lS5-i, at which election the
following officers wer'^ elected: James
L}^on, county judge; S. ^. Goddard, county
clerk: John Campbell, treasurerand recorder;
D. A. Babcock. prosecuting attorney; And}'

CUICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 15

Sample, sleriff. The on]y record showiug
date of election is the bond of John Camp-
hell as treasurer and recorder, signed b}' G-.
R. Rowley and James L. Frazee as bonds-
men (this was preserved from the wood box),
and filed in county judge's office April 12,
1S")4. On the hack of the commission is
'• Notice to organizing sheriff, filed December
31, 1S54, in the office of county judge of
Chickasaw county, J. Lyon, county judge-"
Legend says that S. C. Goddard resigned as
county clerk and J. A. J. Bird was appointed
to fill the vacancy. The earliest record
we find of J. A. J. Bird acting as county
clerk is upon the commissioner's report for
the locating of the county seat^ which reads
as follows: "Filed iu the office of the clerk
of the county court August 14, A. D., 1S54,
J. A. J. Bird, clerk."

TOWNSHIPS.

At the organization the whole county
constituted but one precinct, and was known
as Bradford.

In the County Juige's record is the fol-
lowing entry:

"At the March term of the county court, the
1S55,

16 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCKS OF

Ordered that the cuunty of Chickasaw constitute
five election townships.

1st. Township 9-J-li and 13, to be called Brad-
ford district.

2d. Township 95, Ran^e 14 and 13, to be called
Chickasaw district.

3d. Township OG, ilan^re 14 and 13 to be called
the Brink district.

4th. Township 90}-97, Range 11 and 1-2 to be
called the Obispo district.

oth. Township 94 and 95, Range 11 and 12 to be
called Yankee c'istrict.*'

At a special session of the county court,
held July 26, 1S55, it was "Ordered that the
Brink district be attached to Chickasaw for
election purposes."

At the ]\Iarch term, 1S56 "Application was
made by petition to organize township 96^
range 14, and asking for the name of Deer-
field to be given the same, which was
granted, and south half 1)7, range 14 added
thereto."

''Township 94, range 14 (should have been
13) was ordered organized and called Rich-
land."

"Application was made to organize 96 and
south half 97, ran.;e 13, which was granted."
JNo name given on the record, but should
have been Washington.

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 17

June terai of Record, says: ''It appearing
to this court that the township of Washincr-
ton failed to effect a legal organization in
accordance with the order of this court made
at the March term thereof A. D. 1S56, there-
fore the said township of Washington is
attached to Deerlield township for township
and county purposes." The real olJense was
that the vote of this town, if allowed, would
have removed the county seat from Bradford
to Xew Hampton.

February term ]S57, "Town 95, range 13
was ordered to be organized under the name
of Dayton.''

April term, 1S57, " Township 95, range 12
was ordered organized under name of New
Hampton.'' Also, township 96, range 13,
and south half of township 97, range 13
under the name of Washington ; township
91, range 11 and 12, under name of Fred-
ericksburg; the west half of township 91,
range 12 was attached to Richland; town-
ship 95, range 11 under name of Stapleton.

March term 1S5S, township 96, range 12,
and south half of township 97, range 12 was
ordered organized under the name of Jack-
sonville.

Township 96, range 11 and south half of
2

IS HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

township 97, rau;^e 11 was ordered organized
under the name of Utica.

In 1S59, township 94. range 12 was ordered
organized under the name of Dresden.

Subsequent!}' the east tier of sections of
Dresden were detached and attached to Fred-
ericksburg but were afterwards returned
with the exception of the southeast quarter
of section 12 and the northeast quarter of
section 13. The northeast of the southeast
and the southeast of the northeast of section
12 have been detached from Dayton and
attached to Xew Hampton.

Thus it will be observed that we have lost
as townships' names the euphonious ones of
Obispo, Brink and Yankee.

CHICKASAW COUNTY, lOVTA. 19

CHICKASAW COUNTY IX lSo5.

BRINK

OBISPO

CHICKASAW

YANKEE

BRADFORD

a a a >: A 7

VI .. - 1 <i A HQ

20 HISTORICAL A>-D KEMINISCEN'CES OF

CHICKASAW COUNTY IN 1S56.

<
>

OBISPO

CHICKASAW

YANKEE

IBIiADFORD

RICHLAND

CniCKASAVv' COUNTY, IOWA.

CHICKASAW COUKTr IN 1857.

—

£-1

OBISPO

•—

N E W

CIIIUKASAW

DAYTON

MAM PTON

STAPLETON

BRADFORD

RICHLAND

FREDERICKSBURG

22 HISTOKICAL AND KEMIMSCENCES OF

CHICKASAW COUNTY IN 1858.

'■'

;:5

■"■

-1

N E W

OHTCKASAW

DAYTON

HAMPTON

STAPLETON 1

IJRADFORD

RICHLAND

FREDERICKSBURG

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA.

CHICKASAW cor XT Y IX 1S04.

>
Z

•-5

CHICKASAW

DAYTON

NEW
HAMPTON

STAPLETON

BRADFORD

RICHLAND

DRESDEN

FREDERICKS-
UURG

2-1 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

XAMES.

Prior to the settlement of the County, it
was occupied by a Tribe of Inrlians bearing
the name of Chickasaw — in early document.s
it was Chickesaw — and their chief was named
Bradford. The County and the Town of
Chickasaw were named after this Indian
Tribe, and the Township of Bradford after
its chief.

The Town of Brink was named after a
man by the name of Brink, who built the
"Brink House'" about two miles northeast
of the present City of New Hampton, on the
banks of the east Wapsie.

Obispo was named by "Yankee Smith,"
for his patron Saint, St. Obispo.

The Town of Yankee was suggested by
Fred Padden, he declaring that it was set-
tled by a set of "d Yankees-"

Deerfield was named by J, A. Sawin, and
the name was suggested by the vast herds of
deer seen grazing on her prairies.

The name of Richland was selected at its
first election by ballot.

Malachi Havelick suggested Milan, J. I).

CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 25

Hawes Medina, and F. D. Hall Richland,
remarking that the fertilitj' of it.s soil would
thus be expressed iu its name. A motion
was made to ballot for a name, and when the
ballots were counted, it was found that the
name of Eichland had the most ballots, and
that name was adopted.

Washington was named in honor of the
Father of Our Countiy, bj^ S. W. Byers.

Dayton was named by E. R. Gillett to
commemorate the name of the man who run
for vice-president with Fremont, Gillett hav-
ing been his ardent supporter.

New. Hampton was named by Osgood
Gowen in hono"' of his old home, he having
come from Xew Hampton, Xew Hampshire.

Fredericksburg was named after Fred
Padden, who was one of its first settlers.

Stapleton was named after Thomas G.
Staples, he being her first settler.

Jacksonville was named by J. H. Dickens
in honor of his old home, he having emi-
grated from Jacksonville. Hlinois.

Utica was named by Hugh Johnston, after
his old home in Venango County, Pennsyl-
vania.

Dresden, having become settled with a
large per cent of Germans, they desired to

2G EISTOKICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

commemorate a spot of their father Lmd,
aud Damed the township Dresden.

The villages of Bradford, Chickasaw, Fred-
ericksburg and Xew Hampton, take their
names from the townships in which located.

Xashiia received its present name from E.
P. Greele\\ in honor of his old home in Xew
Hampshire. It was at first called Bridge-
port, aud when Andy Sample and Dea.
"Woodbridge became its proprietors, Sample
liad it changed to AYoodbridge- AVhen
Greeley became its principal proprietor he
gave it its present name.

North was prefixed to "Washington, for the
reason there was so manj' postofhces in the
State by the name of AVashington, that the
department refused to grant another.

Lawler was named after John Lawler, of
Prairie Da Chien, he being the active agent
representing the railroad company when the
town was laid out,

Ionia is a second thought, it being first
named Dover, but as the department refused
to grant another postotiice by that name it
was changed to Ionia, but v.-ho suggested
that name is not certain. Its first name
was given to it by Mr. Hammond in honor
of his former home.

jniCKASAVv- COUNTY, IOWA.

Bastett was named after one of the firm
of Bassett & Hunting, an extensive wheat
buying firm along the line of the railroad,
they both living in McGregor.

COUNTY SEAT.

At the organization of the County there
was but one Precinct and that was Bradford
and per force of that fact it became the
County Seat.

Section Five of Chapter Twelve of the
Laws of the Fourth General Assembly pro-
vided

"That a majority of the citizens of any County,
after becoming or2:anized, may petition the district
judge in whose judicial district the same is situated,
during vacation of the General Assembly, whose
duty it shall be to appoint tliree Commissioners
from three different adjoinincf Counties, who shall
proceed to locate the County Seat of such Ct^nnry
according to the provisions of this act."

Under the authority here conferred a pef
tion was presented to Ju'lge Wilson, who
was at that time district judge of the Second
Judicial Districtof Iowa, of which Chickasaw
County was a part.

23 HISTOJUCAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

There i? no record showing who was
appointed except tl.'e report of the Commis-
sioners. w]ii,ch was filed in the office of the
Clerk of the District Court August 14, A. D.
1S54, the filing on the back being "J- A. J.
Bird, Clerk,'' and signed by William Mc-
Clintock, of Fayette County, and John B.
Onstine, of Winneshiek County. The third
man not signing his name is lost in oblivion.
The following is the report of the commis-
sioners:

To the IIo7ioi'dble County Judge of Chickasaio
County^ Iowa:

The undersifrned. Commissioners appointed by
the judge of the Second Judicial District of the
state of Iowa, to locate and establish the County
Seat of said County of Chickasaw, respectfully
report that having had the same under considera-
tion, they have selected the town of Bradford in
the county and state aforesaid, as the point at
which said County Seat is hereby located and estab-
hshed.

Wm. McClintock,
John B. Onstine,
Commissioners.

At the February term of the County Court,
1856, a petition of J- C. H. Miller and two
hundred and twent3^-four others was pre-

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 29

sented, prayini^ '* tliat at the next April elec-
tion to be holden thereafter in >aid county,
a vote shall be taken between Bradford, the
existing County Seat of said County, and
New Hampton, for the County Seat."'

The prayer of the petitioners was granted,
and in accordance therewith an election was
held, and New Hampton received two hun-
dred and thirteen votes and Bradford two
hundred and six votes.

When the vote was canvassed the town-
ship of Washington was thrown out, and
this left a tie, giving each place two hun-
dred and three votes, and as it took a major-
ity to move the Count}" Seat, the canvassing
board decided in favor of Bradford.

On the sixth day of June, 1S56. an informa-
tion was hied by Osgood Gowen, in the ofhce
of the Clerk of the District Court, asking for
a writ of mandamus, and in accordance with
the prayer, a writ was issued against the
board of canvassers the same day. On the
day following, two members of the board —
W. E. Andrews, vrho was e.r-officio County
Judge, and John Bird, -Justice of the Peace,
filed a response, which is given in full, as it
contains nearly all the history of the case,
and is, moreover, a unique specimen of that

80 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

legal explicitness which is supposed to be
attained oaly through technical verbiage.

State of Iowa, [ In the District Court of
CnicKASAW County. ) said County.

To the June Term thereof, A. D. 1856.

In tl]e matter of the information of Os<^ood
Gowen for Jlandamus against the board of can-
vassers of Chickasaw County aforesaid, in the mat-
ter of an election between Bradford and Xew
Hampton, for the establishment of the County
Seat of said County,

" And the said W. E. Andrews and John Bird,
canvassers of election in said information, men-
tioned, come, and answering, say that they admit
that at the Februajy term of tlie County Court,
of said County of Chickasaw, A. D. 1856, a
petition was presented to said County Court, by
J. C H. Miller and two hundred and twenty-four
citizens, as alleged in said information, upon which
said petition an order v/as n^ade by eaid County
Court that the questicu of a relocation of yaid
County Seat of Chickasaw County be submitted to
a vote of the legal voters of said County in the
year 18.56; and that, in pursuance of said order
Bubmittinor the question of a relocation of said
County Seat to a vote of the legal voters of said
County at the April election A. D. 1856, said ques-
tion was submitted and voted on at said election.
And your respondents further answering, say sev-
erally and respectively, that in the returns cf said

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 31

electiou and' according to the same, it did appear
that the town of New lianipton had received the
number of two hundred and thirteen votes for the
County Seat of said County, and that the town of
Brfidford received two ])undred and six votes for
the County Seat of said County as appeared on the
face of the papers purporting to be said returns of
the said election. And 3-our respondents aver, and
they so answer, that all the returns so made to the
County Judcje of said Count}' of Chickasaw at the
election so held in and for said County, were then
and there to- wit: At Bradford in said County, duly
examined and canvassed as the law directs, by said
hoard of canvassers; and that after such examina-
tion and canvass as aforesaid it was found that the
said election returns at the election held as afore-
said for the purposes aforesaid, were duly and
properly made in compliance with law, with the
exception of the Township of "Washington in said
Count)-; and after duly examining and canvassing
the returns of said electiou so held as aforesaid, for
the purpose aforesaid for all the townships and
precincts in said county, it was found that returns
of the votes for the said Township of Washington
were insufficient, irregular and of no effect, and
utterly null and void in law, and so said respon-
dents, answering as aforesaid, aver that said votes
of the Town of Washington, given at said election,
having been found aiid decided by said board of
canvassers, and were then and there v/ithin the
time aforesaid duly and legally rejected by said

6Z niSTOKICAL AND rvE:JINISCI-:XCES OF

board of cauvassers, after a legal canvass of the
said votes and returns, then and there held for
insuffieienc}', irregnlarity and nullity, and for no
other reason.

"And yonr respondents, further answerino;, say
that after said returns of all said to^vnships and
precincts of the said county of Chickasaw was so can-
vassed as aforesaid, and the returns of the votes of
the said township of Washington were so rejected as
aforesaid, the state of the canvass was as follows,
to- wit: Bradford received two hundred and three
votes; and of the votes so rejected after said c?.n-
vass as aforesaid, ten votes were cast for New
Hampton and three votes for Bradford; and that
your respondents there made out and signed a
statement of the canvass aforesaid, specifying the
said number of votes cast for the respective places
aforesaid, which remains of record in ihe office of
the County Judge 6f said county, by reference to
which will more fully appear. Aud your respond-
ents, further answering, deny that they have done
ought in the premises aforesaid; they have acted
fairly, honestly and in good faith, as they b,elieved,
and still believe, in strict accordance with law and
their duties as canvassers as aforesaid. And your
respondents having fully answered herein, beg to
be discharged. "W. E. Andrews,

John Bird."'

It was claimed by the relators that the
board of canvassers having found the returns

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA.

from Wasbiiigtou Township irregular, were
in duty bound to return them to the town-
ship officei's for correction, and to stay the
canvass until the returns were corrected and
returned, and then complete the canvass. A
change of venue from the County was
applied for, and the case fell between the
courts, it being claimed that the proper fees
were not paid for a transcript, and the decis-
ion of the canvassers remained and the
County Seat remained at Bradford.

The reason given for the change not being
completed, seems strange at this late day,
for it belongs to the applicants for the
change of venue to pay this fee, and a failure
on their part left the case pending in this
County. It was more than a hint that the
relator plowed with the Bradford heifer.

The throwing out of the returns from .
Washington Township not only defeated the
removal of the County Seat to New Hamp-
ton, but changed the election of every
County Officer in the county. The public
mind was in a high state of excitement, and
local party feeling run high.

A public meeting was called to meet at
the Brink House — a well known hotel on
the banks of the east Wapsie, about one and

84 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

one-half miles northeast of Xew Hampton —
the objects and proceedings of which will
more fully appear by a perusal of the rejtort
of one of the board of canvassers, and which
^Yas issued as a hand bill.

INDIGNATION MEETING.

Pursuant to notice the citizens of central,
western and the northern parts of Chickasaw
County, assembled at the Brink House on
AYednesday, April 23, ISofi, and organized by
calling Hon. J. C. H. "Miller to the chair and
electing E. R. Gillett, Esq., secretary.

The chairman stated the objects of the
meeting in a few words:

"It seems,'' he said, ''that we are called
together to deliberate upon the ways and
means, whereby the people — the majority of
the people — claiming to be republicans, shall
be heard, and the 'elective franchise' vindi-
cated." On motion, a report (minority) from
G. R. Rowley, one of the county l.ioard of
canvassers, was read and ordered to be
printed in the Dubuque Tribune. On motion,
a committee of three was appointed to pro-
cure counsel. Osgood Gowen, T. A. Jacobs
and David Edwards were appointed said
committee. Mr. Cutler introduced the fol-

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 35

lowin.^ resolution, which was unanimously
adopted.

JResolved, That the proceedings of this meetiiLS:,
and the report of Mr. Rov/ley (together with 200
circulars struck off) bo pubKshcd in the Dubuque
Trihun-e. On motion the meetinoj adjourned sine
die.
E. R. GiLLETTK, J. C. H. Miller,

Secretory. Chf^irimn.

A MINOEITY EEPOKT. ILOt ?^^o54

To the Electors of Cldckasam Cou7ity, loica:

As one of the canvassers of the election held in
Chickasaw County on April 7th, I deem it mj'duty
in justice to you, to inform 3'ou of the number of
votes cast at the time for the different County
Officers, and also for County Seat.
They are as follows:

Whole number of votes cast for Count}' Judge
was 426.

Mr. Miller received of these votes 215

Mr. Bailey received of these votes 210

Leaving a majority in Miller's favor of . . . . 5
Whole number of votes cast for County Clerk
was 423.

Mr. Jacobs received of these votes 216

Mr. Webster received of these votes 207

Leaving a majority in Jacobs" favor of.

86 niSTOiaCAL AND KEMINISCEXCES OF

Wliole number of votes cast for Count}' Sur-
veyor was 423.

Mr. Webster received of these votes 190

Mr. Billings received of these votes 183

Leavin<> a majorit}' in "Webster's favor of . . 13
Whole number of votes cast for School Fund
Commissioner, 412.

Mr. Tucker received of these votes 219

Mr. Wright received of these votes 206

Leaving a majority in Tucker's favor of . . . G
Whole number cast for County Seat was 420.

New Hampton, or Geographical Center,
received of these votes 213

Bradford received of these votes 206

Leaving Xew Hampton, or Center, a major-
ity of 7

The Hon. W. E. Andrews, then acting as Judge,
John Bird, Esq., and myself, constituted the board.
We differed on the validity of the returns from the
Washington Precinct. (The reasons assigned by
the canvassers for the throwing out of Wasiiington
Precinct, was this: all the board of election in that
Precinct did not sign the returns, and hence this
ousting business. Washington is a new Precinct,
having only organized at the last election, and rhev
had not the Code to guide them.) But tliere being
two to one they overruled me, and threw out those
returns, after having them down on the clerk's tall/
[ist, which, if not destroyed, can yet be seen in the

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 37

office; thej' were crossed off, and the remaining;
precincts counted, which chani:ced the result of the
election. If, fellow citizens, this was the first time
that Bradford and her hirelings had polluted tlie
sanctit}-- of the ballot box, we mio;ht overlook it.
It is no lonjjer aijo than last August that we elected
this same J. C. H. ]^.Iiller as our County Judge by
over Htty majority. Then the Hon. Judge Lyous
and E. A. Haskell, Esq., perverted the will of the
majority of the votes of the County by throwing
out a precinct with over sixt}- votes to obtain their
ends, without anj' just cause, as I reril}' believe,
and so the Court decided, before whom the honor-
able Judge was taken, and it saw tit to bind him
over to answer for fraud and corruption in chang-
ing tlie result of the election.

But what do we now see i The same prosecu-
ting attorne\', who took such an active part against
the Hon. Judge L^'ons, and had him bound over,
now is called upon to act as judge and canvasser.
How much does he lack of perverting the will of
the people ? Has he not also taken advantage of
ignorance or oversight, and changed the result of
the election, when it was in his power to have
avoided it ? "O, consistenc}' thou art a jewel.''

Fellow citizens, the day of our freedom and
independence has sfoue by in this far-famed county
of Chickasaw; the will of the majority has to suc-
cumb to a meager minority. The democratic will,
"the greatest good to the greatest number,'' is
perverted, and its glorious precepts trampled on

33 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

with impiniit}'. Afrain, the American principles,
"The majority shall rule,''' is cast aside, and a new
plank is instituted, thus "The minority shall rule
in Chickasaw county henceforth and forever."

Fellow citizens, was ever so palpable gross fraud
perpetrated as this ? Were ever inconsistencies so
glaring as those of our Bradford neighbors? We
may boast of our love of libertv. and expatiate
with owlish gravity upon the wrongs of Kansas,
but I tell you the home rutnans in this county
tower in brutal atrocity and unmitigated villany
above the Kansas-Missouri brigands. We may
talk of ."going to Kansas to defend the ballot-bos
from a Missouri mob; but we know little of our
duty when we thus talk and act; we little think the
same thing is transpiring in our very midst; the
ballot-box is wrested from us— the palludium of
our liberties assaulted — the voice of the majority
slighted — the rights of the people taken away.

Fellow citizens, how long shall we be slaves to
the minority in this land of liberty, "this land of
the free and home of the brave?" If our voice is
not to be heard and heeded at the ballot-box, what
security have we for our lives and our property?
Are they not in jeopardy? Are they not in the
hands of those that could barter them awa}' for a
"mess of pottageT' What! the minority rule? If
the minority continue to rule how long before we
are burdened with taxes. How long before we are
called upon to build county buildings at Bradford?
The minority rules and we must submit! Shall we

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 39

let this wrong pass unnoticed and unrebuked? Is
there an\- assurance that there will not be a repeti-
tion of the same offense next year' and the next?
and so on for a series of 3'ears^ In the language
of Patrick Henry, "shall we gain strength by
inaction and irresolution? shall we lay supinely on
our backs, and hug the delusive phantom of hope,
until our enemies have bound us hand and foot?"
Answer these questions, fellow citizens, upon the
altars of your hearts. Answer them with' an eye
single to the welfare, happiness and pros-perity of
this beautiful county.

As your canvasser, fellow citizens, I have laid
the subject before you for your consideration.
Hoping that you will take notice of such facts as I
have submitted to you.

I am, respectfully, your humble servant.

G. R Rowley.

Finding that they were thwarted at the
ballot-bos, and having elected E. R. Gillett
as Representative who was favorable to a
change of the County Seat, an act was passed
by the General Assembly appointing a Com-
mission to relocate the County Seat, and by
Chapter two hundred and thirty-six. of the
Laws of the Sixth General Assembly it was
provided, *'That D. B, Wallen, of Bremer
county. H. B. Hoyt and C. A. Newcomb, of
Fayette county, be, and they are hereby

40 HISTORICAL AND RP:MINISCENCE5 OF

appointed Coimiiisi^ioners to relocate the
Seat of Justice of Cliiickasaw County, on the
first Monday of March, 1S57. or within two
months thereafter, as a majority of them
may agree in the pursuance of their duties
under the provisions of this act."

Under this appointment D. P. Wallen and
H. B. Hoyt met and relocated the County
Seat at New Hampton. The entry in the
County Judge's Record says: The Commis-
sioners appointed by the Act of the Legisla-
ture to relocate the County Seat of Chicka-
saw county, report in favor of the Geographi-
cal Center, or Xew Hampton.

There was a general desire of the south
part of the County that there should be an
effort to take the County Seat from Xew
Hampton at the next election. But one
town could be voted for at one election, and
there were three aspirants for the place,
Fredericksburg, Forest City and Bradford.
Many were the councils, and protracted the
discussion as to how they should settle upon
a place, for to even hope for success there
must be harmony. At a final interview it
was agreed that a representative of each
tovrn should together visit every voter in
the southern tier of Townships, taking their

CniCKASAVv' COUXTT. IOWA. 41

first and second choice of place-, and when
so taken, they were to add the first and sec-
ond choice together, and the town having the
largest sum was to be the town to be voted
for. This looked fair on its face, but it was
soon found that the middle town had greatly
the advantage- When this dawned upon the
outside towns it v;as too late to join and
make common cause, for Forest City had
foreseen this and had crowded the canvass
so that nothing could be done and Forest
City was successful.

Up to this time, one of the principal actors
in representingr the interests of Bradford,
was John Bird. Of medium stature, dark
complexion, and compact build, he was the
early local politician and manager that con-
trolled the interests of Bradford. To be a
Bradford man was to evoke his interest at
once. As a wire-puller, he stood head and
shoulders above his compeers, and freely
used all that came to hand for his purposes,
and even the shrewd Case and the cautions
Howard, were more than once used to poke
his chestnuts from the fire. Subsequently
the other fellow poked the chestnuts, much
to his sorrow. The trouble with him was
that he did not grow as fast as his surround-

42 HISTORICAL A^'D REMIMSCEXCES OF

ings. and when the County Seat h^ft Brad-
ford, Bird lost his prominence, and never
regained it. Among the leaders that came
to the front as managers of the changed
interests of the south, was Hiram Bailey,
who, so long as Forest City had interests,
IDulled the ropes that changed the scenes.

A petition was presented to the County
Judge, asking that the question of the
removal of the County Seat from New
Hampton to Forest City and the praj'er of
the petitioners was granted and the question
was submitted to a vote of the electors of
the county, on the fifth day of April, 1S5S.
^Vheu the vote was canvassed, the vote of
Washington township was thrown out and
not counted, for the reason that there was
no accompanying poll list. It was found
that the Deerfield poli-book had been tam-
pered with, and the aggregate of the vote
for County Seat, had been changed from
fifty-three to forty-three, although the
accompanying tally sheet showed the num-
ber of fifty-three, and by counting only the
forty-three, it left ten of the aggregate of the
vote cast, unaccounted for. As >oon as the
vote on the County Seat question was can-
vassed, and without waiting to complete the

CHICKASAW COUNTY; IOWA. 43

balance of the canvass, declaration was made
that the Couut\^ Seat was at Forest City, and
the canvassing board was adjourned to meet
there at 2 o'clock that afternoon. Within a
few minutes the books, furniture and papers
of the county offices were in transit for the
newly declared County Seat.

On the 3d day of June, 1S58, an informa-
tion was filed in the clerk's ofiice, asking for
a writ of mandamus compelling the board
of canvassers to count the votes that had
been cast, including those of Washington
and the ten in Deerfield. A special term of
the District Court was called to meet in
August to hear the case. At the August
term an alternative writ was issued, and
after hearing, a peremptory writ issued as
prayed, and respondents ai^pealed.

At the time of the filing of the information
for a writ of manda)nus an information was
filed asking for a writ of certiorari. At the
special session of the district court these
papers were lost and leave was granted to
file new ones at the next term of the court.

The mandiimus case v/as reversed by the
supreme court as being an improper remedy,
so far as the count of Deerfield was con-
cerned, but that it was a proper remedy to

44 IIISTOKICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

force the counting of the vote of Washing-
ton, notwithstanding the poll list was lack-
ing.

On the 12th day of April. 1859, an applica-
tion was made to the district judge for an
injunction rc3ti;iining the county officers
"from holding their offices at any other place
than at New Hampton, and one was issued.

At the next term of court the injunction
was made perpetual.

Thus was the wrong righted and New
Hampton again received her ov\'u.

There has been talk of trying to take the
county seat from New Hampton, and at one
time there waj an attempt to secure an elec-
tion to tliat end, but the remonstrants so far
outnumbered the petitioners that even a
completion of their official count was pre-
vented, by the petitioners withdrawing their
petition.

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5G nisToracAL and reminiscences of
SCHOOL FUND COMMISSIONER.

At the organization of the county John
Bird was elected, but no record was made of
his election.

The records in the office show that he
acted continuously until October 20, 1856, at
"which time he made a contract with J. A. J-
Bird for the sale of Northwest quarter of
the Northwest quarter of section Sixteen,
Township Ninety-four North of Kanp^e Four-
teen West of the Fifth Principal Meridian.
"- William F. Wright was elected at the
spring election of 1S56, but no record made
of the same. We find that he was acting
on the olst of Jul}', 1S5G. when he received
a school fund mortga.^e which was executed
on that day to him as School Fund Com-
missioner. It would be impossible, and
probably unwise, to reconcile the acting of
two School Fund Commissioners at the same
time.

In 1S5S, at the April election, C. A. Orvis
received 470 votes for the office of School
Fund Commissioner, and R. Baldwin 275.
As the office was abolished Orvis never acted.

CHICKAfrAW COUNTY, IOWA.

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JHICKA.SAW COUNTY, IOWA. 59

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CHICK AiAW COUNTY, IOWA.

HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

The following shows the yearly levy, in mills, of the
State, County. County School, Insane, Bridge. County
Poor, County Poor House, and County Bond Taxes, as
levied from year to year:

lSo5
1850.
ISoT.

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18.)0.
1S60.
ISOI.
1S62.
186:].
1SG4.
ISGb .
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1S67.
1S3S.
1860.
1870.,
1871.
1872..
1873..
1874..
187.5..
187G..
1877.
1878..
1870 .
1880..
1881.
1882.
188:3.
18S4.,
188.5.
1886..
1887..
1883..
1880, .
ISOO..

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 65

IReminiscence.

About 2 o'clock of the morning of the
lOtb day of 'Mn.y, 1S57, tbo whistle sounded
and the steamboat swung iu toward
''McGregor's Landinj:^," and supposing that
the shore bad been reached I stepped over
the edge of the boat and found myself
in water. 1 was pulled on shore and thus
found a helping hand on my return to
Iowa. Went to the hotel and wrung out my
clothes, and at the time of the starting of
the stage at 3 o'clock, was enjoying a steam
bath, but embarked on the stage for West
Union, where I arrived in the evening, cold,
hungry, and a little depressed. Went to my
room earh^ and proceeded to open up my
wet clothes and hang them around the room
to dry. Had just got to bed when I was dis-
turbed by a rap on the door and, opening it,
found that there was another guest who
was expected to lodge with me. On looking
in and observing the appearance of things
ho declined to come in and share my room
V7ith me, and as he left I heard him remark,
"thatd — d fool has got his washing out.'^
5

66 HISTORICAL AXD REMINISCENCES OF

Starting the next morniug on foot, for the
ample reason that 1 had no money with
which to pay stage fare, iit the hollow west
of town, found a team stuck in the slough
with a load of potatoes and stopped to give
the men a lift, but as the stage came along
and the passengers and driver refused to
stop, conchided to pass on and let tliem help
themselves. Passed the stage at the '• Ver-
mont House" and did not see it again until
it reached Frederick.^ burg. My directions
as to the road were: "Pass Potters at the
county line, follow the wagon trail leaving
the twin trees to tlie right, and the first set-
tlement vili be the town.''

My entrance into Chickasaw was on the
nth day of May, 1S57. I arrived in Fred-
ericksburg some time in the afternoon, just
as it began to rain.

As I came up to the old log hotel Webster
Pease greeted me and asked if I had seen
the stage I told him that I passed it at the
"Vermont House." v;here it had stopped for
dinner, as I judged from appearances. Thus
Webster Pease was the first man to speak
to me in the county. He v/as acting as hotel
clerk, the house being kept by Lorenzo Carter.

As I passed into the house I was greeted

•1

9J
-I

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. C7

by E. W. Davis, who was then acting as
County Surveyor- For the first time, tlirough
his kindness, instructions were given me
about Townships, Eanges, Sections, and the
subdivisions of sections, and other things
pertaining to the United States survey.
Among those present were Abner Pease and
Charles E. Zwick, and soon Fred Padden
came in and I was introduced to him. and
he was repiesented to be the leading spirit
of the place. He presented the prospective
growth of the town with such a breezy con-
fidence, and so giovring was the prospect,
that I felt that fortune had smiled upon me
in leading me to a place where my fortune
was so fully assured.

As it rained all the balance of the day I
was obliged to stay all night. As I desired
to see all that was going on I was escorted
to an upper room where was the only faro
table I have ever seen in the county. As I
had walked from "West Union, for the reason
that I had no money with which to pay stage
fare, I did not make much display bucking
the tiger. On the morning of the twelfth I
started for Forest City, a prospective town
located on sections twelve and thirteen,
township ninety-four, range thirteen, being

"Tf

6S HISTORICAL AND RJ:.MINISCKNCES OF

in what is now Richland township, and one
mile west of the present Williamstovru
postofiice.

The first settlement on the road west of
Fredericksburg was that of A. Y. Allen, who
kept hotel in a log house, situated on the
northeast corner of section 13-D4-12, he hav-
ing a large straw-covered building for a
horse barn. Opposite and further west was
the log house of Vinal Thaj^ei', about twenty
rods from the road.

A little west of Vinal Thayers I called
where a log shanty was being erected, nnd
on accosting the workman, found it was E.
W. Proctor, whom I had knowm in Ohio.
Thus E. AV. Proctor was the rirst acquaint-
ance I met in the county. On the south-
west corner of section seven was the log
house of William W. Pike. Walking
through the mud another mile, I came to
the "city," v.diere I found Hiram Bailey and
wife, and a number of acquaintances that I
had known in Ohio.

Here I took another lesson in western
hopes and prospects, and learned how for-
tunate I bad been in escaping Fredericks-
burg, and coming to so magnificent a place
as Forest City was bound to be. Fredericks-

8>.

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. C9

burg was well euoiigli as an outlying town,
but was too far ro one side to ever amount
to much, or to become a leading town in the
county.

Forest City was in the center of the county,
east and west, and would always be on the
main stage and railroad route, and there
would never be any trouble from the inhos-
pitable and bleak prairies of the north part
of the county. My presence in the city was
soon known, and its denizens came to call
upon me, and among the number was
William B. Grant, to whom I was introduced,
and who was reported as being the moving
element of the place, and engaged at that
time in the erection of a saw mill, to which
was to be added a grist mill in due time.

If Fred Padden was breezy. Grant had a
towering confidence that left no doubt, at
least in his own mind, of his ability, and
while the leading spirit of the "Burg" was
well enough in his place, yet he would never
do to look after the interest of such a place
as Forest City was bound to be. Both of
these old pioneers have been canonized by
having the post-offices of their respective
towns named after their given names,
althou;*h ^Yiliiamstown has been moved one

'Oi

<<J HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

mile east of the old cite of Forest City. In
many things there was a strikinc:^ likeness
in the career of these old pioneers; both
relying upon borrowed capital with which to
carry on their work; both erecting sawmills;
and while both did much to develop the
country, both met disappointment in not
realizing the full fruition of their hopes.

To be sure there has been a family com-
pensation, for their respective brothers,
'•'Low'' and '• Preck," have both been pros-
pered and have each an abundance of this
world's goods, thus again exemplifying that
"one shall sow and another reap.''

As I came through Fredericksburg, the
ones that impressed me as being the leading
spirits, were Fred Padden, Charles E. Zwick,
D. B. Hanan and Lorenzo Carter. Padden
showed symptoais of Celtic origin, active,
aggressive and ready for the main chance.
Carter was more phlegmatic, and appeared
to be ready to enter into a deal with any one
who appeared to present good fallow ground
for his speculative plow.

Charles E. Zwick was a slim, light haired,
light complexioned, cadaverous and nervous
appearing person, showing nervous zeal in
whatever he engaged, and was subsequently

CHICKASAW COU>'TY, IOWA. 71

appointed Deputy Sheriff under Padden and
ou Paddoirs resiguatiou was appointed by
the County Judge to fill the vacancy. He
became a strong partizan, during the county
seat fight, for the "south," and proved to
have a woudertu] memory, where there was
an official act to be done in its interest, but
where, in his judgment, delay was favorable,
his memory was not so acute.

D. B. Hanan was, to all appearance, a
representative of the ''boys,'' and was inter-
ested in a bowling gallery and its accom-
paniment, talked horse and gun and played
the fiddle-

The residents of Forest City were Hiram
Bailey and wife, William B. Grant and wife,
Joseph George, wife and two sons, Dr. Sam-
uel B. Carpenter, who was living with his
fifth wife and had come west to grow up
with the country, Prescott Grant, Ftichard
Elliott, Zelotes Bailey, Turner S. (commonly
called ''Tip ") Bailey, Amy Bailey and Henry
H. Bailey.

Zelotes, Turner S. and Amy were minor
wards of Hiram Bailey, he having been
appointed guardian of his deceased brother's
children.

Soon after my arrival I found an intense

72 HISTORICAL AXD REMIXISCEXCES OF

■ excitement, caused by a prospective meet-
ing of a Legislative committee wliich was to
locate the County Seat- There was great
activity in circulating petitions to be used
in influencing this committee, and it was
with much regret that I could not sign, for
I had not been in the county sixty days.

At Forest City, Dr. Carpenter and Hiram
Bailey were living in unfinished frame
houses, and the others were living in log
shanties with shed roofs made with split
shakes and in some instances these were
covered with sod to make them warmer.
Grant was building a frame house in town
and Josepu George was building one half
mile north.

Zelotes and "Tip"' Bailey had burned a
kiln of brick the fall before, being the first
brick made in the county, and I went to
work building a brick hen-house for Hiram
Bailey, which was the first l)rick building
erected in the county. I also built a chim-
ney for Joseph George on his new house.
As the town existed only on paper, I went to
work, after finishing my brick work, survey-
ing the town, accordmg to the plat they had
adopted. As it then stood it was covered
with hazel brush, with the exception of the

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 73

slough that run just south of the saw mill,

and this was full of water.

On the Sunday following my arrival, I

attended a Sunday School at the log house

of Malachi llavelick, one mile north of town.

This was followed l)y a temperance meeting,

and among the speakers were Judge Bailej',

Hiram Bailey, E. K. Gillett and M. llaverlick,

and Mrs. E. li. Gillett read an essay, and here

I made my first speech in the county. The

singing was enthusiastic and did credit to the

old song:

"Thrice welcome friends, and here we meet in friend-
ship's circle bright,
"Where nothing mars the pleasure sweet or dims the
radiant light."

My next oratorical effort was made when
the steam whistle sounded for the first time
at the saw mill. This was looked upon as
an event, and but the herald of the locomo-
tive that would soon go screaming through
and past the town. It was a good time to
let the eagle soar and we let him fly. It
was for a long time a disputed point as to
which could be heard the farthest, the
steam whistle, or Judge Bailey.

Judge Bailey was a character that could
only exist in a new country, and could be
developed and ln*ought out nowhere else.

a Juo

/•i HISTORICAL A^TD KEMINISCENCES OF

Born in a new and timbered country, of
poor parents, liis earh- life Vv'as spent at work
and without the benciit of i^chool3. At his
majority he could hardly write his name, and
the county records show that he never devel-
oped the art of chirography to any great
extent.

Reared in a rural and sparsely settled
country, surrounded by a class of religion-
ists that related their experience with more
fervor than thought, his imagination was
developed in volume and spirit character-
istic of uncultured force. Of large square
build, with a small, compact and round head
— given to being bald — with an uncommonly
large and projecting nose, and a stentorian
voice, he sounded forth his convictions and
experiences, and exhorted the unrepentant
to flee from the wrath to come in tones that
'would put to shame the "]\[ad Bull of
Bashan," and shook up Stones's Corners and
Joppa, where he u<ed to live, like an earth-
quake. Of coarse this "'Divine Afriatus"
could not be enduring, and when relaxed his
active mind sought other outlets, and, in his
gropings, he became a firm believer in phre-
nology, as taught by Fowler, aod turned his
attention to '• bumpology,"' as he called it.

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. /D

About this time he fell in with a work ou
the theory of creation, known as " The
Vestiges of Creation," and his lively imai:;-
ination found new inspiration, and his intel-
lect an inspiring thought, as he fancied he
saw the creation of new worlds and systems,
and saw evolved from the fiery mass of
immensity the tangible forms of spheres
and systems as developed under the author's
theory. Hungering as he was for knowledge,
absorbed as he was in the sublimity of the
supposed discovery, pauperized by the want
and knowledge of the use of words, and yet
desiring to tind expression and give vent to
the sublime truths that he believed to be
burning in his soul, he acquired an extrava-
gant and hyperbolic enunciation, not always
strictly accurate or scientific, but always
forcible, if force comes from volume and
manner. Without the experience or educa-
tion to take up work systematicc*.lly, and
without preparation, he entered upon the
duties of County Judge, who at that time
was not inappropriately called "County
King," for he had charge of everything in
the county, includir.g roads, bridges, poor,
county buildings^ and the levy of all taxes,
except local school taxes, and the disburse-
ment of all funds.

ri7 .YTVT'Tf'

9 i>fIoch9Ci a«8

7G HISTORICAL AND KEMINESCENOES OF

Cod tiding to a fault, he was in the hands
of his friends. George W. Reed had been
elected OoLinty Clerk, and being wholly un-
qualilied to conduct the office, V. D. Bos-
worth was appointed Deputy Clerk and did
the business, and he proved himself wise
beyond his years, and absolutely refused to
draw or file a paper that in bis judgment
was not authorized by law and demanded
for the public good, and the Judge yielded
in most cases, and where he did not, the files
show that the documents are in some other
handwriting. In all premeditated cases the
counsel of his brother Hiram was generally
asked and asaally followed with safety,
unless over])Oweriug personal motives biased
his judgment.

His character can be summed up in this:
He was a man of uncommon physical energy,
with little experience or forethought; willing
to reward his friends and not adverse to
hitting his enemies; easily persuaded and
moving at once from the impulse; without
the experience or acumen of a debater, but
v.-ith the force of a pugilist; enamored with
his own voice and power as a speaker, yet
lacking the culture and tact to use this
power to a purpose, he swept over the county

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 77

like a prairie tire, not leaving many ashes or
doing: much harm.

The first of June I took a trip to»New
Hamptoii, to see the town that was desfined
to be a successful rival of Forest City. One
mile north of Forest City was the loo; house
of Judge Bailey and a little further
alon? and on tbe opposite side of the road,
was the log house of Malachi Haverlick.
One mile further north was the log
house of James Upham. When I reached
his place I found him breaking, and as he
had but one leg, he was using the plow
handles for one and hopping along behind
the breaking plow. The next settlement
on the road and the only one before reaching
!New Hampton, was three miles south of
town, where Wesley Sway zee lived in a log
house on the west and John Johnson, a Xor-
wegian, on the enst, also in a log house, of
the town line road. To reach this settlement
from Upham's, it was necessary to make a
detour westward, via the groves, for the
sloughs and high grass prevented a more
direct route.

Oq my arrival in Xew Hampton, I found
the population to consist of Harrison Gur-
ley, wife and sou, Homer Hamlin, wife and

7S IIISTOPvICAL AND IJEMIXISCENCES OF

three children, Gideon Gardner and wife,
David Edwards, v/ife and two children, E. T.
Runion, wife and two children, 0. Carpenter
and wife, and E. W. Parker.

Gurley had a .store in a log house and
lived in the back part, this being the first
store building in New Hampton, having
been erected by James Jared and sold 'by
him to Osgood Gowen, and was used for
post-ofUce, and the only place of public
resort in the town, but he was building his
old store building that has stood for the last
third of a century on the southeast corner
of Main street and Locust avenue. E. T.
Kunion had a pen of poplar poles, without
cover, in which he had a bellows and anvil,
and called it a blacksmith's shop. David
Edwards was living in a frame house, the
studding of which were flattened poplar
poles, and it was sided with basswood boards
and then filled in between the poles with
prairie mud. There were seven houses and
shanties in the town.

I remained until about two o'clock in the
afternoon, and so well pleased was I with
the town that I invested every cent I had in
the world, before leaving, that is to say, I
paid twenty-five cents to David Edwards for

/80q

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 79

my dinner. I walked back to Forest City
that night, and the next day went to laying
brick on the sawmill arch and chimney.

Soon after this 1 attended my first wed-
ding in the county; the contracting parties
were Eichai-d Elliott and Amy Bailc}'. I had
the honor of being first man. and Lizzy
Smith, subsequently Mrs. F. D. Bosworth,
was bridesmaid. The bride was fourteen
years old. an orphan, and not very well sup-
plied with this world's goods. Tradition was
still clung to that white was the only suita-
ble color for a bride, and this was met by
the bride borrowing a dress of regulation
color, if not in form, of Mrs. Dr. Carpenter.
It appeared to be in what has since been
called Mother Hubbard style, but was
adapted to the occasion by encircling the
waist with a ribbon, borrowed from the same
source. Her feet were encased in a pair of
stockings borrowed of "Tiney,'' and shoes
from Dr. Carpenter. Judge Bailey per-
formed the ceremony, and in an exceedingly
short time I had the pleasure of saluting the
new made wife.

Crude as this may now seem, this couple
have raised a family that are now occupy-
ing positions of confidence and trust, and

so nibTORICAL AND KEMINI^CENCES OF

the Diother is au liouored and benevolent
woman, carrying a blessing with her where-
ever she is known. 1 am old fashioned
enough to prefer seeing youn.G' people start
at the end of the ladder that these young
jieople did, and go up, than see them mount
the upper round and go the other way.

As soon as the report of the commis-
sioners was announced, locating the County
Seat at New Hampton, means were taken
to submit the question to a vote of the
county, to bring it to some point in the
south part of the county.' Bradford, Forest
City and Fredericksburg wanted it.

It was absolutely essential that the south
part of the county lie united, to give even a
semblance of success. Much canvassing was
had to devise some means by which there
should be harmony as to the town selected.
Hiram Bailey proposed a plan that was
adopted. A committee of one from each of
the southern townships, who were to go
together and canvass the votes and have
each one designate his first and second
choice for places to be voted for, and when
the canvass was completed they were to add
the, first and second choice for each place,
and the one havin:^ the largest number,

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. SI

when thus added, slioiild be the place to be
voted for.

The committee appointed were John Bird
of Bradford, Hiram Bailey of Richland and
Fred Padden of Fredericksburg. There were
but three townships then, as Dresden had
not been formed- To make the thing safe
for Forest City, the other townships were
canvassed first. This was so thatthej' could
divide their second choice so as not to have
either of the other towns secure the largest
number. Forest City was selected, and then
came the securing of petitioners to call an
election, and as the lists of choice for Forest
City had been kept with that in view, it was
but little labor to prepare them so thej^
could perform this second duty. As Judge
Bailey was to pass upon their sufficiency,
there was no fear but that they would be
accepted, and notice was published that a
petition would be presented at tlie March
term of the county court-

I attended the spring term of the District
Court, it beinj? held in Bradford. As I passed
west to the Wapsie, I came to the log house
of Rev. S. M. Prentice, a baptist minister
who used to preach over on Crane Creek and
at Fredericksburg. Crossing the river was

03fcBW 81 (

S2 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

the log hotel of David Tingley, who had
built his house on the bank of the river and
had raised it high enough, as he supposed, to
keep the water out of his house, but this
season ho was obliged to raise his threshold
two inches to keep out the floods. In the
grove west of Tingley's was the log house of
David McDouald, it being the onlj- house
until Two Mile Creek was reached, where
Truman Merritt had made the first perma-
nent settlement in the county. No other
settlenaents intervened between Merritt's
and Bradford.

At this time G. W. Howard, A. G. Case
and F. D. ilall were members of the bar and
the only local practitioners. G- W. Howard
was Treasurer and Recorder of the county,
and did very little at the law. He was cool,'
reticent, and a self-contained mortal, and no
one knew but little about him. With all
his gravit}^, he was possessed of a grim
humor, and while he had no special personal
following, he was held in respect by every-
body who met him, either in a financial,
political or social capacity. His character
may be illustrated by a little incident. He
had been boarding for months with a lady,
having a suite of rooms of his own. With-

81 i

-J,. ■

II
a:

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 83

out notice, he failed to appear at his meals?
and his whereabouts was unknown for
months.

Returning to hi.s rooms, he went to his
breakfast the next morning and walking in
he took his seat at tlie table just as though
he had been a coufinuous boarder, and no
w^ord from him betrayed the fact that he
had been absent- After J. H. Powers
resigned his seat in the State Senate, to
enter the army, he was elected to fill the
unexpired term. He was subsequently
appointed Major of the twent3'-seventh regi-
ment of Iowa Infantry Volunteers and made
a brave and cool othcer.

F- D. Hall had been elected Prosecuting
Attorne}^ and was a young man of close and
discriminating mind, when legal points were
placed before him, but he lacked the gift to
raise and grasp them of his own volition, as
original propositions, either as main or aux-
iliary supports of a case- Added to this, he
was weighted with a sensitive embarrass-
ment that overwhelmed him, mentally and
physically, which left him stranded, when
he should have been possessed of his every
faculty and power.

Thus lacking the vsry element so much

84 HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCEXCES OF

needed for success in a new country, "brass,"
he soon dropped out of practice and took up
the work of an^ agriculturist and 1ms
remained an honest, influential and
respected citizen.

A. G. Case was a j'oung raan who had
received a classical education, and thus
started with an adwiiitage over his com-
peers, all of whom had graduated from the
"Poor Man's College,*' the common schools.

He had studied law under the most favor-
able circumstances, yet, with all these
advantages, his appearance was decidedly
vernal, aud his practice circumscribed. How-
ever, beneath this schoolboy appeai-ance
there slumbered a force as yet unknown and
unfelt, that was to develop the man and
show that he possessed legal acumen seldom
equaled, and that he had a classifying power
that could make all ends subserve his pur-
pose, and had not the enticements of a busi-
ness life taken him from the profession, he
would have stood the peer of the foremost.

This same marked power has not forsaken
him in the business world, and he has
become president of two National banks
and is burdened with the care of his accu-
mulations-

-•10

9^9(1 J

e:>ams\

-Lii

CHICtvASAW COUNTY, IOWA. S5

Think not that these were the only ones
that a new comer had to meet, for there
was the ''traveling bar," consistiu.!? of 'Wil-
liam McClintock, Elijah Odell,T^rilo McG lath-
er}', L. L. Ainsworth, S. S. Ains worth, S. B.
Zeigler and J. O.Crosby, who came from the
eastern counties and carried free lances,
ever ready to enter the lists, either singly
or in a body^ as chance presented itself.

It was something more than a surmise
that most of them had formed a syndicate
to crush out all local lawyers who proposed
to attend to their own cases without calling
in their aid.

Having studied law in Dayton, Ohio, and
having attended the Law School at Cincin-
nati, I had an exalted idea of the dignity ot
courts, and wdien I entered the District
Court of Chickasaw County for the first
time and saw the presiding Judge sitting
beside a table w^ith his chair tilted back and
his heels resting on the top of the table,
while he was whittling a pine stick with all
the enthusiasm of a yankee boy, and emit-
ting vast flood? of tobacco saliva from his
mouth, I felt that my ideal was not realized.

It was at this term of court that I was
admitted to the Chiokasaw County Bar, and

•00

Sfi

HISTORICAL AND KE.MINISCENCES OF

had mj^ first case in tlie county. It was an
appeal case, my client being James Upham;
L. L. Ains worth was opposing counsel, and it
was found that in the court below, both par-
ties had forgotten one and one-half bushels
of potatoes that my client had received from
the other part}-, and that they were worth
eighty cents per bushel, making a judgment
against my client of one dollar and twenty
cents. My client declared that this was
right, and that if either of them had thought
of the potatoes, he would have paid for
them. Thus in my first case a righteous
judgment was given.

At this term of court. F. D. Bosworth was
acting clerk, George W. Reed, who had been
elected clerk, being wholly incompetent.
Bosworth was a young man who had received
a common school education, living with his
father and attending school at Buttcn-nut
Ridge, near Tifnn, Ohio, and on reaching his
majority, came west to grotv np with the
country. After arriving here he taught
school and ^plit rails, and showed that he
had the spirit of success in him. As Deputy
Clerk, all the business of the office fell upon
him, and he entered the office with little
knowledge of men, but with the vigor of

li ^lc

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. S7

youth and a sterling integrit}*. The fact
s:oon became apparent that the whole of the
county business hud fallen into his hand??,
and that in fact he was the arbiter of the
county, as he found appeal for direction by
the County Judf]^e.

This was a misfortune to him, for he first
found it out, then felt it, and then acted it,
and it took long years of stern schooling and
frequent disappointments, to eradicate the
manner thus acquired. His brusqueness was
only seeming, for no kinder or move consid-
erate heart ever received a place in human
breast than was his. With an unimpeacha-
ble integrity, a stainless character and a
loving nature, he was esteemed and beloved
by all who intimately knew him. Had he
studied and known more of men, his public
life would have been more of a success.

As a home and family man he had few
peers.

On my first visit to Bradford I met, aside
from the lawyers, Andy Sample, A. W. Bill-
ings, George A. Bronson, L. Corey, Leonard
Kingsley, E. A. Haskel, Levi Hubbel, D. A.
Babcock, J. A. Bird, John Bird, "Stick''
Dodge, Captain W. \V. Foster, Deacon E.
W. Woodbridge, Judge DePuy and Judge
Andrews.

8S HISTORICAL AXD I'.EMINISCENCKS OF

These were the representative element of
the place, and expressed great faith in the
future of the town. As to its location, it
seemed that nature had exhausted herself
to make a beautiful place for the town, and
on paper it presented the appearance of a
metropolis with its additions and depots.

Physically W.W. Foster was the moststrik-
ing figure, and a bearing that made a marked
man of him. Six feet three inches tall,
straight as an arrow, full and robust physique,
high forehead and white flowing locks, he
was a true type of a physical man. In phys-
ical contrast was E. A. Haskel, five feet six
inches' high, small and eSeminate, when
standing by the side of Captain Foster the
contrast was striking in the extreme. A. W.
Billings was of square build, medium height,
a blonde, and had the appearance of being a
good liver and having it reasonably well
moistened, was a rollicking, good natured
fellow, and appeared to be one of the boys.
Kingsley was the reverse of Billings, being
dark complexioned, and bearing none of the
marks of being one of the boys, but a peep
behind the scenes would show that ho was
known to them and able to carry his part.
Corey was a nervous, active man, and full of

to bus II jfli

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. S9

plans, which, if successfallj^ carried out,
would have made all prosperous and himself
a moneyed man. Like many another castle
builder, his schemes failet] to profitably
materialize, and the empty buildings that
absorbed his substance long stood as monu-
ments of his impracticability and along their
halls echoed his lost hopes.

None could meet the men of that day
without recalling the pleasant smile, affable
word and greeting of Deacon Woodbridge.
While not one of the boys, he w^as on good
terms with them, being entirely void of any
sanctimonious bearing, and was greeted by
all as a social, good natured and genial com-
panion. I learned to like him for his kind-
ness and friendship in after years. After
the removal of the county seat to New
Hampton there was little business, and as I
had married and had a family to support,
found that I must supplement my profes-
sional fees.

After closing my business in court, T went
to work on a job I had in hand. The Prose-
cuting Attorney desiring to leave, the court
appointed me to supply his place before the
Grand Jury. The Sheriff failing to find me^
went to Deacon Gardner to make inquiry.

90 niSTOPJCAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

Deacon Gardner was foreman of the Grand
Juiy, and he told the Slieritr that I was prob-
ably digging a well for Garley. Deacon
\7oodbridge was a member of the Grand
Jury, and when he heard the remark,
he asked, ''Does he dig wells?" He was
assured by Deacon Gardner that I did every-
thing I could find to do, when not employed
v/ith professional work. To this Deacon
Woodbridge remarked, '-Can't kill him, can't
kill him. I will g:o home and tell the boys it's
no use, they can't kill him,'' and from that
hour he was my warm personal friend, and
many a dollar his intluence put in my
pocket. His memory is still green, and I
cherish it lovingl}- and gratefully.

George A. Bronson was the proprietor of
the "Bronson House," and if he was to have
judgment passeil upon him in modern slang
phrase, he would be called "cranky. '' If tie
liked a man, no place was too good for him,
and no labor too great to make him com-
fortable, but if he took an aversion to him,
such guest would be the last served or looked
after, and if there was complaint it would
not call forth soft and soothing words, but a
deluge of expletives, he not always bearing
in mind the third commandment, although
at heart he was a kindly man.

ffll iii:

fti V'fr

CniCKASAT\' COUNTY, IOWA.

"Stick" Dodge was a marked character,
being deformed, not more than four feet
high, mostly body, with little stumps of fin-
gers, and the keeper of a saloon that he run
under tlie euphonious name of "Pig's Eye."
His saloori was headquarters of all the fast
men and boys, and the earnings of many a
day's work found a place in bis till, and
many a pocket book was lighter when it left
than when it entered his place of business,
although it was reported that he never
allowed a game of chance to be played unless
limited. This was not so much from princi-
ple, as for self protection, for if there was no
limit, there \vas chance for exhaustion on a
single bet, and in that event there would be
but one treat, thus reducing his patronage, or
relying on trust.

Had 1 come directly from home surround-
ings, I should have been taken by surprise,
but as I had spent a year in Texas, 1 was
prepared to expect departures from my early
training, and 1 met it philosophically, hoping
that the time would come when there would
be a change more in accordance with the
decalogue- In recalling the votaries of the
"Pig's Eye," I think of none who have filled
places of honor and trust, but many who
have ended in povertv and shame-

92 HISTOmCAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

D. A. Bcibcock was a genial and popular
youuor man, and when the war of the rebel-
lion broke out, showed his patriotism by
entering the great army of volunteers as
soon as he could disguise his misfortune by
securing a glass eye, so as to give him the
appearance of being eligible. A good fighter,
a faithful comrade and true hearted man,
his example might have been an inspiration
and his life a success.

When inspired by his surroundings, there
would flash from him glints of oratory that
would thrill and amaze, but they only showed
what might have been, had he not been
weighted by an indolence that was the bane
of his life. Xor was this indolence confined
to his mental action, but it run through
every fiber of his being, until from utter
inanition his mental power was dwarfed,
material prosperity destroyed, moral pre-
ceptions weakened, until, without ambition,
without money, home or friends he was
buried by charity beneath Carolina's sunny
skies.. He had held a position on the Capitol
police, until a change of administration took
it from him, and at the time of his death he
was looking after an interest he had in some
mining property in South Carolina.

h Jud ,a«

:d eil

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 93

At this term of court A. E. Bigelow was
Sheriff, havini? been elected as the successor
of Andy Sample, who had been elevated to
that position at the organization of the
county. There were many suits pending
against Andy Sample, and in serving the
processes of court, the new Sheriff had levied
upon and persisted in retaining property
claimed by Sample, and many were the
threats made against the man who had the
temerity to come in contact with the terror-
izing force of Sample and his friends. Bige-
low was small of stature, close knit and
wiry; and as he had been a ''49er" who had
been overland to California, and had the
experience and schooling incident to the
gold fields in their early days, was silent and
unrelenting in his performance of duty, they
took counsel of prudence, and there were no
overt acts of violence as had been threat-
ened.

Subsequently A. E. Bigelow was elected
Treasurer and Kecorder of the county. At
the expiration of his term of otTice, he started
the Chickasaw County Bank, and run the
same until it was merged with the Bank of
Nevv' Hampton, the consolidated banks
becoming the First >sational Bank of New

bsd

94 niSTORICAL AND REillKISCENCES OF

Hampton. Mr. Bigelow has been Director
or President of this bank since its organiza-
tion, and has proved himself a successful
business man. There has been some droll
experiences in his dealings with some of the
old pioneers that would disturb the equa-
nimit}' of most men.

There was a little hotel kept in Chicka-
saw, and, being a guest, desiring supper and
breakfast, have been requested to advance
the amount of my bill so that they might
purchase supplies at the grocer^'- with which
to supply the table. When Bigelow left his
farm and moved to town he bought out this
hotel, and with the anxiety of a parting
host, the former landlord took him aside and
in an anxious manner made the parting
request that the new landlord should not
allow the hotel to lose its standing and repu-
tation while in his hands.

Andy Sample was a character of note in
those days, and was connected with every
move that had for its object the advance-
ment of Bradford's interests. Without an
education, he was possessed of groat execu-
tive ability and a spirit of adventure and
audacity that, counting results, amply com-
pensated for lack of education.

CHICKASAW COUNTY, 10 VTA. 95

Xot. being particularly tvammelecl with
couscieutiou^; scruples, he was a terror to his
opponents and a power for his friends, in a
new country. His test of a man's grit was
peculiar to himself. At the first term of
court that L. L. Ainsworth attended in the
county, there had been an action for assault
and battery commenced against Sample, in
which G.AV. Howard had been acting for the
prosecution, and the threats of the accused
against him were dire and numerous, and
Howard instructed his client to employ
iVinsworth. On the trial, Ainsworth was
severe in his remarks on the defendant, and
secured his conviction. This kind of fear-
lessness pleased Sample, and he went over
to the old store building where court was
being held, and called Ainsworth out and
told him that he wanted to see him bock of
the building. It looked rather ominous, and
having heard about his threats against How-
ard, he began to suspect that his time had
come. When they had retired behind the
building Sample asked him if his name was
Ainsworth. It was no time to dodge, and
Ainsworth said that was his name. At this
Sample said: '"My name is Sample, Andy
Sample, and you will find mj^ name on the

<.(.'

i)i

ilSa \i:

% HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCKXCE3 OF

docket in here and in Floyd countj', and
wherever 3'ou lind my name on the docket I
want you to write your name opposite to it
as my attorney. Do you hear?"

Thus l)egan the loog continued relation of
client and attorney that onh' ended when
Simple left the county. In speaking of it»
Sample said: "When I heard that little
crooked nosed cuss going for me, I made up
my mind to have him."' Sample, after he
was elected to the office of Sheriff, made the
first arrest in the county. A hog buyer had
been up the Cedar, and as he advanced down
the valley, his drove increased faster than
his purchases were made. Complaint was
made to Hank Johnson, who had just been
elected the first Justice of the Peace of the
county, and turning to Sample, said: "Sher-
iff, arrest that man at once for stealing
bogs.*' Armed with this command, Sample
started at once, and in due time presented
the person of the offender before the Justice.

Here the court found itself in a dilemma,
for it had no Code, and had never seen a
trial. Rising to the occasion and assuming
an attitude of dignity, and in his most
impressive manner, he prepared to act in
the case. Saluting the prisoner, he com-

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 97

manded: "Stand ii[>, sir; take off your hat,
sir; hold up your right hand, sir;" and theu
be proceeded to adniiuister the followini^
oath; "You solernuly swear by the upliftcil
band of Almighty God that you didn't intend
to steal those hogs as you ^hope to be
damned." The prisoner assented by bowing
his head and received the parting words of
the court: "Well, you can go this time, but
turn the hogs loose and don't steal any
more." Thus ended the first trial in the
county.

After vSample was elected Sheriff of the
county, he was sent to Iowa City, the then
capital of the State, to lobby and look after
the interests of Bradford before the Legisla-
ture. After his arrival, the lobby soon
learned his business, and that his legislative
experience was limited, and prepared to
practice upon his credulity. At this time
much was made of the organization of the
lobby, it going through all the forms of the
House of Representatives.

After its organization, with "Old Timber"
(J. W. Woods) as Speaker, he holding that
position by prescription, having held it since
the State was organized, Samj>le wa,s intro-
duced, and one of the wags gave him a good
T

'k>

'Si

-r

8i.

93 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

send-off, and recommended liiui to the kind
consideration of the ITouse. Supposing, as
he did, that it was the real House of Repre-
sentatives, he commenced to open up his
subject, and was soon encountering a cross-
fire of questions for which he was not pre-
pared- After standing it as long as he could,
he turned upon his tormentors, and assum-
ing a tragic and threatening attitude, said:
"Which, I am the High Sheriff of the North-
west, and if you insult me I will cut your
damned hearts out.'"

Thinking that perhaps they had caught a
Tartar, they induced him to let some other
person present liis claims, and referred his
matters to a committee-

At the first meeting of court at Bradford,
when any business was done, the Grand
Jury being called, the officer whose duty
it was to examine them as to qualifica-
tion, was directed by the Court to pro-
ceed. Taking the Code and turning to the
section which says that they must be citi-
zens of the United States, of the State
and county; that they must be endowed
with their faculties, such as hearing and
sight, and must be of good moral character,
he proceeded lo ask the questions seriatim.

JlIICKASAVr COUNTY, IOWA. 99

Havincr asked as to citizenship, he proceeded
uith ''Can you all hear?" '"03113^011 all see?"
and receiving affirmative answers, he pro-
ceeded, "Are you all of ^ood nioi'al char-
acter?'' At this, Andy Sample, who was a
member of the panel, turned to the Judge,
and with a look that no other person could
give, and twisting his mouth, said: ''Judge,
that is a d — d tough one;" then assuming a
dignified look, exclaimed: "Yes, but that is
the first time I ever heard anybody swear to
it." The roar of laughter that followed indi-
cated that the spectators saw the point.

One of the historic characters of that day
was Judge Lyons, who had been elected the
first Judge of the county.

At the time of his election, he was living
on Crane Creek, eking out a precarious living
at farming, supplementing it by trapping.
He had formerly lived in Bradford, and was
selected as the Bradford candidate for that
reason, they believing that through his old
acquaintances he could be brought to attach
himself to their interests. He was a man of
no education or public experience, and had
no special fitness for the place, not only lack-
ing in education, but in nearly all the requis-
ites necessary for an executive officer, except

100 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

honesty. Of medium lioight, sandy hair,
florid complexion, deeply freckled, ungainl}-
gait, he wa^ probably the last man in the
county that a stranger would have selected
for any official position. When once in office,
he showed his constituents that ho meant to
be honest, and while his sympathies were with
the party that elected him, he would not
knowinji^ly, be used as a tool of any faction.
Pie left the office carrying with him a respect
for his honest intentions, although many
thought he had been misled into certain
official acts, notably the throwing out of the
returns from North Washington township
and refusing to count them, that was in and
of themselves, wrong. He left the office
carrying with him a respect for his honest
intentions, under most trying circumstances,
when few men of his experience would have
stood as firm.

After the close of his official career, he
worked at his trade, that of carpenter, and
helped to frame the old court house at New
Hampton. The munificent salary of two
hundred and fifty dollars a year had not left
him in opulence.

In an early day the road from Bradford to
West Union, was around by the Bordwell

i
\

J89aod fcid

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 101

ford, on section twent3'-nine, in Dayton town-
ship, thence past D. A. Jackson's, two miles
west of New Hampton, past the Brink House
two miles northeast of New Hampton, ford-
ing Plumb Creek at the old Indian trail on
section three township 95-12. via Tom Staples
and the Vermont House to West Union.
The Baileys had started a town one mile
north of where Forest City was located and
named it Milan.

D. A. Babcock and E. A. Haskel, of Brad-
ford, were appointed a committee to go over
the route and report as to the practicability
of running a road on a direct line from Brad-
ford to West Union, and they reported such
a route feasible and acainst makim^ a deflec-
tion northward to Milan. On hearing this,
the Baileys threw up their Milan scheme and
started a new town which they called Forest
City, and on the proposed new road. When
Judge Bailey was in ofhce, he made heavy
appropriations out of the county fund to grade
the flats and sloughs and bridge the Wapsie
and other streams on this line. Between
Forest City and the Wapsie was one of the
most impassable sloughs in the County,
travelers being obliged to go far to the
north to pass it. The contract for its grad-

:'H

Hii

iUL' HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

iiig and bridgin<:^ Avas given to Brouson, of
Bradford, and there was much talk of get-
tinf][ ont an injunction to restrain the Judge
from thus using the public funds. AVhen
Judge Doi-e, who was elected as a northern
man, came in, he made like appropriations
for brid^^iug and grading between New
Hampton and Chickasaw and in Deerfield
township. Under Bailey no county money
was expended on roads and In'idges in the
north part of the county. There had long
been a road known as the "Old ^lilitary
Road,*' running from Ft. Atkinson westward
through the north part of the county via
Jacksonville, Petiybone and Osage west-
ward, which was an outlet for the western
counties.

There was a town platted in Xorth Wash-
ington township, on the south half of section
thirty-three, township ninety-seven, by a
man by the name of J. T. Donovan, and was
named by him St. Peters. He prepared a
map of the State, showing this town with
two railroads running through it, and plac-
ing a coffee mill and miniature house, which
was thirty inches by forty inches and three
stories high, upon the town site, marking
one "Grist Mill'' and the other "Hotel/' he

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. lOo

represented one as beiuga grist mill in good
running order, and the other as a commodi-
ous hotel, lie secured lithographs of the
public buildings of St. Peters of Minnesota,
and these figured as public buildings on the
margin of his map.

Lots were sold to eastern parties, under
these representations, and the whole plat
finally closed out under a lottery scheme,
every ticket drawing a prize. Many a victim
came to look after and inquire about his
purchases, and the mails were loaded with
inquiries as to the value of these lots. I
recall one man who was a tailor from Phil-
adelphia, who came in person to look after
his purchase, who would not take our rep-
resentations as to the lots, but decided to go
up and see for himself. On his return he
had the coffee mill, saying. '*! have got that.
d — d old mill that fooled me." Having
secured a tax title of this land, and as the
plat did not meet with the requirement^ of
the law and never was dedicated, I bought
the land of Donovan and became the owner
of the city. Donovan told me that he made
seven thousand dollars out of this steal.

Hasting.-5 and Podunck were two other
towns started for the sale of lots, but the

104 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

preparations were not so elaliorate, and they
failed to find as many victims as did St.
Peters. Among the victims of the Hastings
plat was Ernest Werner, who gave two hun-
dred dollars for a lot and was never able to
find it.

After I had set the boilers for the steam
saw mill, bnilt a small brick outbuilding for
Hiram liailey, and built a chimney for Joseph
George, I opened up my first office in the
county. I had received my library from
Ohio, consisting of Blackstone's Commenta-
ries, Greenleaf on Evidence, Adams' Equity,
and Gould and Stephen on pleading. I
secured the Session Laws and Code of Iowa.
My office furniture consisted of a dry goods
box, which served as a table and book case,
two chairs, and a wooden candlestick of my
own make.

The first partisan convention held in the
county was in Jacksonville, in June, 1857,
w^hen the Republican party was organized.
Gideon Gardner, F. D. Bosworth and mj^self
rode over from New Hampton with David
Edwards. At this meeting W. E. Beach was
elected chairman and J. H. Powers secre-
tary. An executive committee was formed
of one from each township, and Hazard

CHICKASAV.' COUNTY, IOWA. 105

Green of Jacksonville, was chosen chairman
of this central coiuniittee. This was m}' first
visit to Jacksonville, and I met as her prin-
cipal citizens W. E. Beach. Ilazaid Green,
J. H. Dickens. Charles E'itch, Allen Vaughn,
J. P. North, J. Cole. H. H. Brakeman, M. L.
Palmer and Frank Graver.

Hazard Green was Jacksonville's first set-
tler, in the village, and was keeping a hotel
in a log house, and being on the Old Military
Road from Ft. Atkinson to Osage, was full
of customers. He was an ardent Baptist
and preached sometimes. He was a man of
sterliug integrity, and although of limited
educational accomplishments, his influence
among the nev; settlers was second to none.
Of medium height, dark complexion, and a
full face adorned with a large mouth that
spread across his face when he smiled, and
accustomed to the privations and hardships
of a new country, he was a true type of a
successful pioneer. Like most men who
have kept to the front as settlements moved
westward, he had received local political
honors, and he always pointed out the prac-
ticability of any measure that he was advo-
cating by declaring, "That's the way we did
in Illinois when I was a member of the Board
of Supervisors."

A7/0I .YTVIIJOO

!» a£

dd flsrfw qor\ 8flJ t

_< 1 jujittny ^- cj-y/f j

105 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

W. E Beach was living in a shell of a
frame house, and was an enthusiast as to tho
future of the town. He had a lithographed
pi ah of the town of Jacksonville, Illinois,
after which they had patterned, and he
pointed out wheie churches, school houses,
and other public buildings were to be located,
and the probable route of the railroad that
would pass through from east to west. As
I subsequently became acquainted with him,
I found him well informed, genial, when in
good humor, irascible under small provoca-
tion, and a perfect pattern of honesty, as was
fully shown during his two terms as Treas-
urer and Recorder of the county. He had
been a member of the House of Representa-
tives in the State from which he came, and
was well informed as to passing political
events. Anyone familiar with his besetting
weakness could tell at once when he had
been annoyed, and if they took counsel of
prudence, they let him alone at such times.
This petulance, under slight provocation,
was the bane of his life, and he often sat in
sackcloth and ashes, as he recalled and
regretted what he had said to others. Unwill-
ing to do, or even think, a wrong to others, we
learned to overlook tliis weakness, and meas-
ure him for his true worth.

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 107

J. Ji. Dickens had come from Jackson-
ville, Illinois, and 'the town of Jacksonville
was platted and named after that town.
Dickens was a Methodist minister and had
considerable of the gift of eloquence, and com-
menced gathering a congregation, to which
he preached a part of the time. He was by
nature a disputant, and to battle for his
creed was to him meat and drink, and sel-
dom a visitor left him without first having
received a printed sermon that had been
prepared by him. with the assurance that if
it was read with care, he would be con-
vinced. Receiving a copy, I perused it with
some care, and found it divided into para-
graphs, each paragraph culminating in a
declaration that the point made could not be
doubted. I am led to speak of this, as it is
a pretty good index of his character.

Charles Fitch was a good-natured, over-
grown boy, and was not calculated to make
a very large mark in the world, but he was
a very good school teacher, teaching the
town school, and received the honor of being
elected County Surveyor. J. Cole was the
6on-in-lav/ of J. H. Dickens, also taught
school, and was the echo of his father-in-
law.

lOS HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

Julius p. North was a 5^oung unmarried
man, a tiuiier by trade, and divided his time
between his business and looking after his
interests with her who subsequently became
his estimable wife.

At this convention speeches were made by
W. E. Beach, Gideon Gardner, Hazard Greeu
and J. H. Powers. In the remarks of Mr.
Gardner, allusions were made that were
destined to figure in the following election,

Jacksonville was a prospective aspirant
for the county seat, and the Rev. J. H.
Dickens was the principal manager of her
interests, and there was more than a sus-
picion as to his loyalty to New Hampton.
In fact, it was a pretty loud rumor that he
was figuring with the Bradford interest.
In his speech Mr. Gardner remarked that
"there might be the lying spirit of an Achan
present, desiring to hide some of the spoils
in his own tent." This allusion was so
pointed that it was plain who was meant,
and it was answered by the reverend gentle-
man with much spirit, and had it not been
for the intercession of mutual friends, there
might have been another fallen Achan, or an
immolated deacon.

At the fall election these remarks were

OniCKASAW COUNTY, IOWA.

109

used with mueli effect against what were
known as the Xew Hampton candidates, and
F. D. Bosworth. ^vlio was the candidate for
the Bradford side, received a heavy vote in
Jacksonville, without which his opponent,
Wesley Swazee, would have been elected.

About this time I attended my first funeral
in the county. It was the daughter of Vinal
Thayer, who lived two miles east of Forest
City, on the north side of the road, in a log
house about twenty rods north of the road.
The deceased was a very fleshy woman.
There was no lumber out of which to make
the coffin, except some poplar boards that
had been sawed out of poles, and were not
edged. Richard Elliott and myself went to
work making the coffin. We set up posts
and then sided it up like the siding of a
house, and made a pitched roof for a cover.
After it was done we attempted to stain it
with logwood, but the dye uniting with the
sap, turned it a bright yellow. This did not
seem to be in character, and we took wood
coal and rubbed it over, and thus modified
its color. After it was thus colored we were
furnished a piece of beeswax by ^Irs. George,
and we rubbed it over with that for varnish.
The necessities of the hour were thus met.

110 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

During the summer of 1S57, the roads
were almost impiissable. A stage route was
established from West Union to Bradford.
It was one of the old Walker Mud Wagons,
with canvas sides and top, drawn by four
horses, which were driven by ''Sandy." It
was years before 1 knew that his name was
Honney well, and he is now living in Dresden
township on the road that was the stage
route. He is now a prosperous farmer and
likes to review the exploits of early days.
The roads became so bad that they were
obliged to build a drag large enough to take
on the stage and Allen hitched on his break-
ing team of eight yoke of oxen and drew it
across the Wapsie flats to Tingleys.

Bradford was the center of the southern
faction, and the north having no town in
which to meet and organize, was forced to
canvass among individuals, as to the course
to pursue. The north finally concentrated
on J. C. H. Miller, who lived on Crane Creek,
in what is now Jacksonville, as their leader
and standard bearer- He had already run
as the candidate against Judge Lyon, and
would have received the certificate of elec-
tion if Washington township had not been
thrown out bv the canvassers, for some

t bcoi

i BB ,8i

CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. Ill

claimed informality. DePu}' was run as the
Bradford candidate, as it wa^ proposed not
to elect another to the ollice of County
Judge, unless it was first known the extent
of reliance that could be put upon his official
acts, in their interests.

He was a farmer and there were no antag-
onisms that would tend to weaken his candi-
dacy. He had a common school education,
and was a strong partisan of Bradford.
When weighted \\ith his official oath, he
found that the free imaginings of the parti-
san must be curtailed under the oljligation,
and after carrying the honors for a few
months, he resigned on the 7th day of April,
1S56. Many were the surmises as to the
cause of his so soon leaving the office, but
from subsequent events it finally became
the settled opinion that he was prompted b}'"
his former supporters, who felt that he had
not come up to their expectations in carry-
ing out their plans.

In April, 1S57, after the commissioners
had located the county seat at Xew Hamp-
ton and the Clerk and Judge had their offices
there and M. B. Taylor, as Deputy Treasurer
and Recorder, came over from Bradford and
did some business for the Treasurer and

moil

112 HISTORICAL AND PvEMINISCENCES OP

Bccovder, but Howard liimsolf remained iu
Bradfoid the balance of his term of ofRce,
and kept the Treasurer's books.

I came to Xew Hampton the day the
county olllces came, and opened an office in
the back room of Giirley's Store- I remained
until the nevviy elected officers took posses-
sion, and Bosworth having been elected
Treasurer and Recorder, resigned hisi^osition
as Deputy Clerk and I was appointed in his
place. I remained to fill that position for
one year, tlie county offices being, for the
first part of the year, in the front room of
David Edward's house. At this time, the
County Clerk was ex-officio clerk of the
County Court, and as such, had charge of
matters under Judge Bailey's administration.
The Judge would come up from his home
once a month and ask what there was to do,
and would sign all the records that had been
prepared by the clerk, and proceed to sign
all kinds of blanks, so that whatever was
required might be made out over his signa-
ture, and would sign a lot of blank legal
paper so that anything wanted that was not
covered by the blanks signed, might be made
out on this paper. After signing warrants
in blank sufficient to run the countv for

iv •> ;i <i >'. /.

-8':
•;■

e
1'

0
I'

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 113

another month, his work was done. This
was the manner th.e office was run while
Bosworth acted as Clerk, and as T look hack,
it seems a loose way of doini; husiness, and
while we couhl not say ''I am a bigger man
than Old Grant." we could say that we were
" bigger men than the County Judge." This
method of doing business seems like tempta-
tion, when viewed in the light of modern
experience, but you must recollect that there
were not so many American financiers in
Canada then, nor was the highway to that
countr}' worn smooth by being traveled by
men who could not vrithstand temptntiou.

It has been with much self complacency
that I have recalled these acts of confidence
fiud trust of my most active and persistent
opposers, and these acknowledgments of my
personal integrity have done much to draw
the sting and buffer the blows of my opposers,
and what would have otherwise have been
annoying and painful, has only elicited a
smile.

When the records were removed to Nevv-
Hampton, the county officers and myself
boarded with Harvey S. Hill, he having pur-
chased the old log house of Gideon Gardner
that stood on the back of the l^t where tlie

114 HISTOIUCAI. AND nKiriNlSCENCES OF

Babcoclc building now stands, and opened it
as a hotel.

At this time Xe^v Hampton was about as
desolate a town as could be found. There
was not travel enough to mark a trail where
the roads ought to be, and they resorted to
the expedient of hiring Zalmuna Morton to
take his breaking team and draw a log where
the wheels ought to run, so as to give it the
appearance of being a traveled road.

During the summer Hill sold out to Dan
Shook, and he commenced to build the old
frame hotel which was burned in ISSl.
Shook only erected the central portion of
the hotel proper and the kitchen. He was
succeeded by Don A. Jackson, who sold to W.
D. Gardner, Mr. Gardner added the west
main portion of two stories, and afterwards
sold to John Dixon, who built upon the east
side, moved the kitchen to the rear of the
Gardner addition, and extended the main
part to the rear.

C. M. AVebster settled on the northeast
quarter of section four, township ninety-five,
range thirteen, now Dayton township, and
wanting to have a place to receive his mails,
made applicatinn for a postothce, and one
was given him under the name of Beaver

nun iji:

CHICKASAW COUNTY, 10 VTA. 115

City, and he was appoiDted postmaster.
When tJiere was a postoflice located at Xew
llau'jpton, there was no further need of an
office at Beavor City, as no mail came to the
office except to the postmaster and that
through the Xew Hampton ofiice, and he had
to carr}- it himself, and it was just as easy to
get the mail when directed to that office, as
to take it home and be obliged to make
reports to "Washington. I was informed
that the office was to be discontinued, and I
requested that in place of discontinuing it,
that he appoint Hugh Johnston of Obispo,
his Deputy, and then resign in his favor.
This was done and the office was removed
fourteen miles to Johnston's residence, and
the northeast part of the county supplied
with a postoffice, without the knowledge of
the Postoffice Department at Washington.
In time another man wanted to be post-
master and a petition was sent in asking the
establishment of a postoffice in Utica town-
ship, a new township formed out of a part of
Obispo, and the prayer of the petition was
granted and the postoffice named Zillo. This
left a superfluous postoffice, and I again put
Beaver City postoffice on its travels, by hav-
ing T. Ct. Staples appointed Deputy. In time

110 HISTORICAL AND REMIXI^CENCKS OF

there was a desire to have a postoffice in
^tapleton township b}* the name of the town,
and this being secured, my peripatetic post-
office had no new fields to enter, so it died.
Kev. ('. Yi. Webster was a Methodist min-
ister, and delivered the first sermon preached
in Xew Hampton. The following letter
which appeared in the Xew Hampton Courier
Jannary 23d, 1S()7. explains itself:

In these times it may be iuterestiuo^ to some, to
know the pioneer eti'orts to cstabHsh Christian priv-
ileges in Xew Hampton. In August, 1S55, I first
came into Chickasaw county, stopping with J. D.
Colt who had built one Iialf mile north of the pres-
ent village of Xew Hampton.

David Edwards had preceded me about two
weeks with his family, and had a small plank hoase
up and partly enclosed a little east of the present
tavern. A Air. Jarrard was also putting up a log
house for entertainment in the new plat of Xew
Hampton. By consultation it wa^ agreed that we
would have preaching services. We held them in
the room of Da%'id Edwards — one end being sup-
phcd with blankets for siding. I came with my
family in October following. We missed religious
privileges, and although I ministered occasionally,
yet we felt the necessity of an organization. I
sought out the Rev. Wm. Holbrook who lived at St-
Charles, and had charge of all these regions. He

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 117

came and orirariizeJ a class at New Hampton, hold
ing services at the tavern. Such was the beginnins;
of an orojanization which has always had a being.
Some of the first members still reside here.

C. ]\[. Webster.

The hotel ^pokeu of here was the lof^ one,
subsequent!}^ kept b}' Harvey !S. Hill and
Dan Shook.

Among the things that surprised me in
my Iowa experience, were the bi-eaking
teams, with plows carrying beams sixteen
feet long, eight inches square, at theii larg-
est places, and drawn by eight and ten yoke
of oxen. The farrow turned was fron>
twenty-eight to thirtj^-two inches wide and
the forward end of the plow beam rested on
a pair of "trucks" the wheel running in the
furrow being a little the largest, the beam
being raised and lowered with a lever, the
rear end of which was set and held in place
by a pin running through the lever and two
uprights at the rear end of the beam. The
thickness of the furrow could be controlled
))y this lever, and it varied from two inches,
on smooth prairie, to such depth as the
conformation or character of the ground
demanded.

In approaching a grove of small timber,

lis niSTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

110 lialt was made, but the lead. oxen, whicli
were geuerally selected as being esi'Ccially
adapted to this service, would stride the
young growth and bend them down, and if
too large they would be lopped with an ax,
the plow would be let down so as to cut
deeper, and under the whip, every ox would
settle himself for a pull and I have seen
poplar trees four inches in diameter go down
like grass. Of course only very small oajcs
could undergo this treatment, for they have
a very firm and hard tap root and it was
necessary to grub them before breaking.
Hazel brush that was high enough to hide
the team from view, was not considered an
obstruction, and was rolled under as readily
as prairie grass. These great breakers have
gone, having served their da}", and only
exist in the memory, but it would gladden
my eyes to again see these great teams turn-
ing over the virgin soil.

The hotel accommodations ot those days
were not very commodious and no one could
fully appreciate the old saying thy.t "an
omnibus would always hold one more," until
after being a guest in a new country hotel-

Generally the upper story — mostly a half-
story— was all in one room and this was

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 119

called the "School Section," takiusj its name
from its Hgnrative resemblance to the gov-
ernment school section, which was number
sixteen, these rooms being supposed to eon-
tain sixteen beds.

The capacity of a hotel was just begun to
be taxed when the beds were full, for there
was still the floor and tables, and I have
known boards to be laid on the stove to
make beds on. Neither was the extraordi-
nary capacity of a house confined to a hotel,
for David Edwards of New Hampton, with a
family of sixteen, wintered in a house four-
teen feet by sixteen feet and one story high,
and extended hospitality to many a trav-
eler. This house was only sided up and was
unplastered, and one of the cViildren froze a
finger while in bed. Mr. ShofBer had a
house in Richland township, eight feet by
ten feet, and the table had to be put outside
before they could make up their bed. This
was a palace compared to some of the places
in which some of the early settlers were
forced to stay. This kind of life was much
harder on the women than on men, and the
remark of a close observer that "a new
country was hell on women and oxen," w^as
literally true. Most emigrants spent their

120 III>TOKICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

first years in Iowa at the a^e^e when the wife
must reasonably expect to put on the cares
of the maternal relation^ and these women,
havin.i? left home and friends, and without
any of the auxiliaries of civilization to aid
them in their hour of trial, but with an
accumulation of cares and responsibilities,
grew prematurely old, as a natural sequence
of such demands upon their vitality and
strength. The sacrifice- that these vv'omen
have made, the lives that have been expended,
the hearts that have bled, none can tell, but
there is much of woman's life that has
entered into and l)ecome a part of these
homes that are now being enjoyed l)y their
children and grand children, and their mem-
ories should be kept green, and if living,
their clecliuing years made peaceful and
happy.

Unknown in public life, unrecorded in pub-
lic records, yet women have been the heart
and soul of our development and growth.

Antedating the railroad, there was a heavy
freighting business along the old military
road running via Ft. Atkinson and Jackson-
ville, thus on westward via Pettybones and
Osage into the western counties.

Teamsters usually went in gangs for

CllICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 121

mutual lielp and couipany, and nearly' every
house on the route kept travelers. Of course
these teamsters became acquainted with the
peculiarities of every stopping place.

On one of these trips, a new teamster had
joined them, and the snow was deep and the
drifts heavy, and it was late when they
reached their rendezvous for the night.
When they had taken care of and fed their
horses they went to the house to partake of
a bountiful supper that the good woman of
the house had prepared. When seated at
the table and the matron had poured the
coffee, she commenced to ask each one if he
would have milk in his coffee. This question
was answered in the negative by all the old
teamsters, but when it came to the uew
man he responded, "If you please." At this
she brought t'ortli the maternal fount and
dextrously commenced to deposit the lacteal
fluid into his coffee. Seeing this, he hastilj'-
exclaimed, '"Nu. no, no; it sours on m\"
stomach." He ever after went by the sobri-
quet of "Sour Stomach."

The first convention for the nomination
of county officers, that I attended, was in the
fall of 1S57. The convention was held in
INew Hampton in the lower story of Gurley's
untinished store building •

122 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OP

The light was between the north and the
south. The first struggle was on the basis
of representation. If the basis was on the
vote cast at the preceding election, as was
contended b\' the south, then the south
would he in the majorit}', hut if the vote was
to be an additional one for each township,
as claimed by the north, then the north
would be three in the majority. Bradford
was on hand, and just at the hour of organ-
ization nominated one of their number as
chairman and at once declared him elected.
Then came the question of township repre-
sentation, and when the roll was called, the
presiding officer ruled that none of the rep-
resentatives from tovv'nships could vote, and
wdien this ruling was appealed from, he made
the same ruling on the right to vote on the
appeal. Of course that left the south mas-
ters of the situation. At this the northern
delegates withdrew, and going to a lumber
pile that had been drawn to erect a house
for Deacon Gardner, it being the house now
just south of the Court House square, the}"
organized by electing Edwin Cudworth
chairman. The southern wing nominated
Lorenzo Bailey, County Judge, F. 1). Bos-
worth, Piecorder and Treasurer, Fred Padden,

CHICKASAW COUNTYr IOWA. 123

Sheriff, and C ]M. "Webster. Surveyor. The
northern wing nominated J. G. H. Miller,
Count}' Judfre, ATe.sley Swaze}', Treasurer
and Recorder, A. E. Bigelow, Sheriff, and
Henry Shaffer for Surveyor. Owing to the
treachery of Jacksonville the southern
candidates were elected. This was undoubt-
edly due to the figuring of the Rev. J. H.
Dickens to bring out Jacksonville as a rival
for the county seat. The Bradford men
used the argument that if it was to go north,
it ought to go to a place that was dry enough
to allow of the building of a town, and as
New Hampton was so wet that it would be
impossible to build anywhere only on a little
knoll, it ought to go to Jacksonville, and
thus practiced upon the credulity of its
voters, while to the south they held that as
but one town could run at an election, Jack-
sonville could be most easily beaten, beside
it would divide the north. Thus it will be
seen that political taffy had an early growth
in the county, and sometimes I have the
feeling that it become deeply rooted and has
not been entirely eradicated yet-

Edwin Cudworth, who was elected chair-
man of what was known as the "Board Pile
Convention," was a man of rotund appear-

124 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

aui^e, and upon wlioni ofilcial honors bad
not been lavishly bestowed, although he had
often intimated that the county could not
do better than to elect him.

Eeared in Vermont, retaining the proverb-
ial Yankee twang in exaggeration, jovial
and credulous, he was an ingredient that
could illy be spared in a new country, and
was a perfect specimen of Dicken's Mark
Tapley. The pranks that were played upon
him, and the tax upon his credulit}' only
need to be recalled, to bring a blossoming
smile upon the faces of the "Old Chickasaw
Boys."

In the winter of 1S57 there was much
gathering of logs at the sawmills, and it was
more a question of team and ability to do
the work, than title to domain, that meas-
ured ones supply at the mill, and owners of
timber lots became somewhat exercised as
to their rights, as against trespassers. There
was an oak tree noted for its size, growing
upon the land of Dr. Sam Carpenter, Jr., and
W. W. Birdseil and Thompson Baile}* decided
to appropriate it. It was over four and one-
half feet in diameter, and it took them over
half a day to i^repare it for loading. "W^hen
they rolled it upon their sled, it broke the

CHICaAS\W county. IOWA. 125

slecl to pieces. Not to be baffled, they wen^
to Smith's and secured another sled and
after nnudi kibor, hmded it at the saw mill.
They had met Ili)-am Bailey on their way
to the mill, and he liavino; Carpenter's tim-
ber in charge, took the back track and found
where the los: came from. Just as they
were finishing unloading the log, Bailey
rode up and asked the boys where the log
came from and who it l^elonged to. 'Fney
took in the situation and both declared that
they did not know, that they had liauled it
in so they could say that they had delivered
the largest log ever delivered at the mill.
He told them that it came off of Car-
penters land, when they proposed to have
it sawed and give the lumber to Rev, N.
Pi. George, a Baptist minister, who was a
brother-in-law of Bailey, and was then build-
ing a house. Seeing that it wjis to be used
for a righteous purpose, and from entirely
disinterested motives, Bailey consented and
the lumber was delivered to the Rev. and
went into his house, it making about two
thousand feet of boards. I afterwards
bought the house and moved it north of
New Hampton, where it is now used as a
farm house. This house was moved seven

126 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

and oue-half miles in one day, using twent}"-
four yoke of oxen. I bou;:rlit a house that
had been built for tlie father of Hij-ain
Baile}', which vras located on the Wapise
flats, sixteen feet by twenty, with twelve
feet posts, and sided with oak siding, and
moved the same to Xew Hampton, and it
was my home for fourteen years. It was in
this house that I received Governors and
United States Senators, and embarrassed
my 5"oung wife by necesitating her to cook
in the only room in the house, and in the
presence of our guests. This house was also
moved seven and one-half miles in one da}*.

There were many stories about adventures
in stealing timber in those early days. There

was a Mr. H. W. livin"^ in Chickasaw,

who had a fine piece of timber, and the boys
laid plans to secure a part of it.

Going to the owner, in confidence they
told him that the\' knew where they could
get some fine log-^, but as they had no team,
they could not avail themselves of their
knowledge. They proposed to cut the logs
and help him load, if he would draw to the
halves. He readily assented, and they took
him around through the brush so that he
did not know his whereabouts, and for two

CniCKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 127

days he hauled logs- On Sunday he thought
he would go out and look after his own tim-
ber, when to his surprise he found that he
had been stealing off his own land.

The Bradford interests had secured A. J.
Felt to start a paper, and the northern inter-
ests had secured Isaac AYatson to start one
in Jacksonville. Felt was a young man who
had learned his trade while with, and had
been connected with the XorfJt loica Tunes,
a paper published l)y Colonel Richardson, at
McGregors Landing. Wlien I first saw Felt, he
was a slim dandy looking 3'oung man. and was
wearing a circular cloak jauntily thrown
over his shoulders, and would to-day impress
one as being a " dude." He was a democrat
in politics, but started a neutral paper under
the name of The Cedar l^alleij Xeics, but it
bore a tinge of the politics of its editor. He
proved to be a journalist of superior ability
in catching the popular ear, and although
surrounded with little out of which to make
a newspaper, in its modern sense, he added
to his scant material, a vivacity and wit that
challenged interest, and his paper was much
sought after. He had a wonderful precep-
tion of passing events, and a full apprecia-
tion of the ludicrous, and a new country was

rnj^fjfjoY. ^.

12S niSTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

iiidigenous of circiirastances tbaf. gave free
scope to his facile pen, and no number of his
paper was without some example of his
power in this line.

While at times he trenched upon doubtful
ground as to the proprieties, j^et we over-
looked these indescretions, and looked with
interest for each issue. His ability to write
was supplimented with a readiness as a
speaker, to respond at short notice, and in a
vein that captivated and made enjoyable^
although some of his conclusious did not
follow as a sequence from his premises.
With a sparsely settled country, and with
fH population largely engaged in making
mew homes and fighting the wolf from
the door, there was little chance to
make a newspaper self-supporting, and as
soon as the gratuity that induced the
embarkation of the enterprise was exhausted,
it began to feel the blighting influence of
an empty exchequer, and in a few months
was sold to other parties, and Felt went
into mercantile business, where he was
found at the breaking out of the w^ar of the
rebellion. Having been a Douglas Demo-
crat, he espoused the Union side and was
among the first to enter the service as a vol-

cB^'

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 129

unteer, and was mustered iuto the service as
private iu Company B, 7th Iowa Infantry.
He was taken prisoner at the battle of Bel-
mont, and remained, with others, incarcer-
ated in Southern prisons for several months,
and when exchanged was a pitiable object,
being scai'cel}' more than skin and bones.

Having passed through the alembic of
rebel hate, the rectifying process had dis-
tilled all Democracy out of him, and he has
ever since been a Republican. He subse-
quently started a paper at West Union, sold
out and again entered the office of the Xorth
Iowa Times, where he remained but a short
time before he again embarked in another
newspaper enterprise, and started the
"'Bough Notes" at Decorah. He remained
here but a short time when he, returned
to Chickasaw county and started the XasJiua
Post. Thi^ lie edited for some time, when
he sold out to J. F. Grawe and bought an
interest in the Waterloo Courier, which he
edited until he emigrated to Kansas, where
he is now (1S92) Lieutenant-Governor of the
State and editor of a paper. He made a "full
success as an editor, but while in Iowa he
never attained to orficial trust and con-
fidence, although a frequent aspirant, and

130 HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCEXCE3 OF

this was largely due to a want of coiifidenco
in bis sincerity, and because of bis faithless-
ness to individuals. ^lany an ajpirant for
preferment who had trusted bis cause in
his keeping found, to his dismay, that he
had been betrayed to his opponent, and bit-
ter were his imprecations as he drank of the
dregs of disappointment-

Isaac Watson was a square built, middle
aged man, and canie to Iowa from Missouri,
where he had been engaged in editincj a
paper. He was a reserved, quiet gentleman,
with the natural instinjts of a newspaper
man, and while he lacked the vivacity of
Felt, he published a paper that the most fas-
tidious could not object to introduce into his
family.

The same causes that'drove'felt out of the
News, drove Watson out of the Cltickasaw
County Bepuhlican. He returned to Missouri
in a few months, where, at the breaking out
of the Rebellion he espoused the Union side,
and was killed by bushwhackers. Strong in
his convictions, as was shown by his being a
Republican in Missouri before the war, he
took aggressive ground in favor of a united
countr}', and was sacrificed upon her altar.

At the starling of the two papers there

fli e
erf j

,n£i

side

erii

hu(

iii'k

.ti

CHICKASAW COUiXTY, IOWA. 131

was cousiderable rivalry as to which shouhi
i>sue lirst, and it becoming known that the
Pit'imblican expected to start on the second
AVednesday of May, the Xeu-s quietly decided
to issue the Tuesday before, and thus become
the first paper in the county. Learning this,
through 'M. B. Taylor, who was then a Dep-
uty in the Treasurer and Recorder s office,
and whose home was in Bradford, I started
about 0 o'clock p. m. and waike>l to Jackson-
ville and gave them notice, and then walked
back again, arriving in time to take break-
fast, without anyone suspecting that I had
been absent. A^ a result of my visit the
Republiccoi was issued on the first Wednes-
day of May. 1S5S, and thus became the first
newspaper in the county.

Finding that Watson would be unable to
coutinue the publication of the BepnhUcan,
on the ISth day of December, 1S57, the
"Chickasaw County Republican Association"
was formed, and the following amoant of
stock was subscribed: F. D. Bosworth, 810;
D. A. Babcock, 810; J. l\. Posters, 810; W. E.
Beach 810; J. Cole, 8200 (turning in forty
.icres of land to make the payment); H. H.
lirakeman, 8^-0; G. W. Howard, 810; J. P.
North, 830; Little k, Wood, 850; A. Vaughn,

132 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

S20, and Cruver. §20. Hazard Greeu was
elected PresidcDt of the Association, and J.
H. Powei-s Secretary. Walter E. Beach was
chosen editor, to be assisted by whoever
would be willing to contribute under his
censorship. Earl, one of Beach's boys, about
thirteen years old, had learned to set type,
and by walking over and working the press
at night we issued the paper for several
months, but the burden was too heavy, and
the paper died. .

In the meantime the history of the Xe^t'5
was similar. Felt sold to a man by the name
of Bushuell, and he, realizing that time alone
would exhaust his resources, gave notice of
its early demise, and a joint stock company
was formed. The stockholders and sub-
scribers of this association were: D. A. Bib-
cock. $30; Ft. C Horton, §30; G. AV. Howard
§30; B. E. DePuy, §20; A. W. Billings, $3o';
AV. W. Foster, §10; Thomas Pooler, §30;
Luthan Morgan, §10; L. L. Morse, §30, and
A. E. Bigelow, §10. D. A. Babcock was
selected as editor, and in a short time he was
joined by G. M. Pieynolds, a veteran editor
from Pennsylvania. This arrangement ran
for a time, and then it died.

Soon after entering upon my duties as

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. loo

Count}' Clerk, and wliile the office was held
in the northeast room of David Edwards'
house, about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, a
couple rode up on horseback, with blankets
and blind bridles. The woman dismounted
prompth', and, giving the reins to the man.
run into the office and asked if the Clerk was
present who made marriage licenses. On
being answered in the affirmative, she said:
"That man out there wants to get one, and
as he is very bashful I thought I would
mention it before he came in." As sug-
f^ested, when the young man came in I
opened the way and commenced to fill out a
marriage license. The woman remarked
that they had got stuck in a slough, but left
their wagon where it was, fearing that if
they stayed to get it out they would be too
late to get a license that night. As I came
to the age of the parties, he gave his age a?
twenty-three. Turning to the woman, she
promptly gave her name, and in place of giv-
ing her age, shook her head and looked implor-
ingly. AYith a gallant impulse, I remarked.
"all rijrht, twenty-two," and left the blank
unfilled. While the man was unhitching the
horses, she leaned over the table and in a
stage whisper, said, "thirty-five," and I filled

134 HISTORICAL AND KEMIMSCEXCES OF

up the blank and delivered it to her. This
couple wanted that I should marry them,
but not having the authorit3\ I directed
them to Judge Bailey, who lived on the road
by which they must return. By the time
they had returned to their wagon and
extracted it from the slough, it was late,
and in the darkness they missed the road,
and about 9 o'clock in the evening they
brought up at the house of Malichi Havelick.
Hallooing, Havelick came to the door, and
they asked if they could stay all night. An
inquiry was made as to their number, and
being informed that there were but two,
Havelick remarked they might if they were
husband and wife, for he had but one spare
bed. To this remark the woman quickly
responded, "we are not, but have got a
license and want to be." With true western
hospitality, and with a heart yearning for
the v.elfare of humanit}-, he told them to
come in and he would have them fixed.
While supper was being prepared, Judge
Bailey was sent for, but further disappoint-
ment awaited the fair couple, and on hear-
ing the news that the Jud-e had gone to
McGregor that morning, the poor disap-
pointed woman burst into tears and amid

CRICKASAV>' COUNTY. IOWA. 135

lieartbrokeii sobs, declai-ed that she did not
want to sit up all ni.2:ht. This was another
stroni,^ appeal, and a man with Malachi's
sympathies could not but be touched, and he
immediately dispatched a boy for F. D. Hall,
who was Prosecuting Attorney and ex-officio
County Judge in his absence. Coming with
haste, without any idea of this urgent call^
he found to hi- dismay that he was expected
to pertorm the marriage ceremony. The
host arranged tho couple side by side, and
demanded that the otMccr proceed with the
ceremony. As he was young, bashful, and
had never acted in that capacity, and cling-
ing to court forms, he began, ''You solemnly
swear" — At this point he was overhauled b}^
Havelick au'l told to marry them and not
to swear them. The task was done, the
ceremony c )mpleted, the goal reached and
the two made one- Hall went to the house
of Judge Baile\' to spend the rest of tho
night, and the newly married couple were
sent up the ladder into the loft of tho log-
house to spend the remainder of the event-
ful night. The next morning while the host
was commencing to l)uild a fire, he was
much surprised to see two feet plant them-
selves on the top round of the ladder.

13() HISTORICAL AND REMINISCKNCES OF

Sbortlj' the bride of the iii;^^ht before stood
by his side and with an anxious and dis-
turbed look asked if the marriage of the
niglit before was legal On being asked why
she asked that question, she replied that they
did not take hold of hands- She vras assured
that it did not make any differfince, and that
it was just as legal as though they had. She
di(^ not appear quite satisfied, and added, '* I
don't feel like a married woman." The
irreverant and peculiar reply of Haverlick
would not appear well in print.

At another time a couple came in from
the south and desired a marriage license,
which was issued to them. This couple also
desired that I marry them. I informed them
that T had no authority, but as I was going
their wa}^ I would conduct them to Judge
Bailey, who would marry them.

When about a mile north of where the
Judge lived, u-e found him loading hay. The
wind was blowing and his hat had blown
off, and his shirt collar and rist-bauds were
unfastened. So far as ventilation was con-
cerned, he appeared to be a success- As we
came up, I accosted him and he responded
with "Hov/- are you, Powers?'' To this I
responded and then added, "these young

,i>C;U:iJJ L

jniCKASAW COrNTY, IOWA. lo?

people have a little business with you."
"AVant to get married, don't they?" To this
I responded that they did. *'Is it all right,
Powers?" I answered that I had issued a
marriage license to them. At no time had
the Judge stopped work, and as he placed
another fork of hay and commenced tread-
ing it down, he swung around and asked
them if they wanted to get married. Tliey
nodded an affirmative, and, vrithout stop-
ping his work, the Judge said, ''All right,
drive on, you are husband and wife: Powers,
make out the papers.*' I obeyed orders.

The winter of 1S57-S was cold and stormy,
and the snow was very deep, and as the coun-
try was sparselj'" settled and New Hampton
off any regular through route, there was but
little to change the monotony, and it was
quite a relief to have some one come in on
business. The county offices had been
moved from the front room of David
Edwards' house as soon as the room could be
finished, into the front upper room over Gur-
ley's store. There was an unplastered room
at the head of the stairs, through which they
parsed to enter the county office, and Pow-
ers and Piosworth put in a bed and Taylor
made his on the office table.

. 13S ni>ToniCAL and reminiscences of
/

/ As there was no break from the stair
entrance into this room, these sleeping apart-
ments were a little chilly, and as Taylor
slept by the fire, it was bis duty to get up in
the morning and build a fire, and when the
room was warm call those outside, when
: they would shake the snow off their clothing
• and run in and dress by the fire. The out-
siders did not escape practical jokes, for one
very cold morning when there was a regular
blizzard, Taylor dressed, and without mak-
ing^ a fire slipped out and went to the hotel,
calling the outsiders as he went through,
aimounciug that breakfast was ready. With
a rush, Bosworth jumped barefooted into the
snow, and gathering his clothing and shak-
\ ing it, rushed into the ofiice expecting to
\ find a v\-arm fire to dress by. Jt may not
\ have been very warm, but Bosworth was,
\ and it sounded sulphurous. We boarded
\ with Dan Shook, and during the v.inter
there was a snow blockade, and our land-
lord run out of all kinds of provision but
sauerkraut and buckwheat, and for weeks
these were our diet three times a day. As
we were each paying four dollars a week for
table board, layior calculated that a good
sized cabbage head would biing shook about

•40 fe:i

9 no 'ioi .gi

Mod edi oi iao-

,Hli'Vf fi

boo^ s

due '

cniirKASAW couNTy. io'.va. 130

adollar. A traveler coniiiig aloii'j. our land-
Jord boiiglit a can of oysters, and by cutting
in pieces of trype th.it ho got of Haslam, we
had a great feast. During this blockade we
were without mail for si?: weeks, and then
hrred a Norwegian who lived three miles
south of town, by the name of John Johnson,
to go to Waucoma on his snow" shoes and
bring the mail. His snow shoes were ten
feet long and about four inches wide and
turned up a little at the front end, and slip-
ping his toes under a strap about the middle,
he slid them on the surface of the snow.
He carried a hce for an alpine stick,
which he could strike into the crust and
retard his motion if he found himself going
down hill too fast. He was gone three days,
and we looked over the prairie with anxiety,
and were much relieved when he put in an
appearance. When we first commenced
boarding with Shook he lived in a log house,
situated where Briggs' drug store now is, he
having bought out Harvey S. Hill, who had
kept it for a hotel. This Hill was a character
in his day, and by reason of his notoriety as
a talker and "blower," he was called
"Gabriel." and claimed the right to blow his
trumpet. He was something of a sport, and

A
Ji

.(I

Si; )T

..... B

fff: nr ,1nrf ari oflffw i

[>i;!i Oi

v^i ii IC ^^-^i-iJjliiOt ^:

140 HISTORICAL AND KKMINISCENCES OF

his running horse, '*Topsy," was just fast
enough to make it interesting, but not
profitable.

"Xot being able to hire a horse nn'- trips
about the countrj' were made on foot, and I
have walked from Xew Hampton to Brad-
ford, fifteen miles, attended a lawsuit, and
thsn walked back again, without any din-
ner, for the reason that I had an empty
exchequer. Having a suit to attend before
Esq. Chison, who lived nineteen miles from
New Hampton, in the north part of Obispo,
I walked over, attended the suit, and walked
back as far as Jacksonville, where I stopped
at the house of W. E. Beach. He asked me
if I had been to supper, and I told him that
I had had neither dinner or supper. He
told his boy Frank to get out the hand-mill
and grind some meal, and sent Earl to build
a fire, and to hurry up. as I was hungry. In
due course of time there was prepared a
kettle of mush, and I was served with mush
and milk in a ten quart tin pan. Mrs. Beach
was much embarrassed that she had no more
to serve her guest, but of all the meals I
have ever eaten, none ever tasted better
than that pan of mush and milk. It was
hospitably given, thankfully received and

HO -iviii/.a:

t»liBd

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 141

remembered with gratiiiule. After supper I
walked to New Hampton, where I arrived
about ten o'clock. It was pretty close times
in those days, and I have seen the time when
I could buy a load of wood for fifty cents,
yet was obliged to carry wood on my back,
f]-om the timber, three-quarters of a mile,
because I could not raise the funds to pay
for a load.

M. C. Roby lived in a building about three-
quarters of a mile northeast of Xew Hamp-
ton, was not possessed with many of this
world's goods, but he had a large family of
children and during the winter of 1S57-S he
found that it was bard work to keep the
wolf from the door.

At one time he found himself without a
mouthful to eat in his house, and he started
out to find something. When night came be
did not come, and the little ones were cry-
ing for something to eat. The house was
cold and the mother decided to put them to
bed to keep them warm, but they cried for
food, and the mother had to whip them to
make them go to bed.

In the meantime, Roby had secured half
a bushe-l of corn, and taking it to David
Edwards' "Little Giant" mill, and hitching

142 HISTORICAL AXD liEMINISCEXCES OF

Oil an old stapf. he led him around until the
corn was srronnd. and then taken on his back
and carried home. AYhen lie got home they
made mush and the children called up and
made happy with a good ineal. Jxohj used
to say that he could hardly keep the tears
back when lie went to take up his little girl
and found the tears still standing on her
face where she had cried herself to sleep
because she was hungry. Of course we that
were holding ofncial positions v.'ere not
without the means to live, for v/e received
for the first half of the term at the rate of
two hundred and fifty dollars a year, and for
the last half three hundred and fifty dollars.
I think it was never known how the raise in
the salaries came to be made- At this time
the salaries were based on population of the
county, and the salaries were so small, and
the Judge thought that the population had
increased enough to raise the salaries at
least one hundred dollars, 'appointed M. B.
Taylor to make an enumeration, and he
reported that he found five more than
enough. This report was very gratefully
received by the officers, and they never ques-
tioned the legality of the nevv' census. Few
men at this time were able to wear an over-

CniCKA?AW COTNTY, IOWA. 143

coat, and it was two years before I was able
to own one, but vrore a shawl instead.

A favorite device was to pin a bag over
the shoulders, and I recall how, day after
day, Tim Donavan. Sr.. used to wear one, as
he drove his yoke of stags from his place to
the Middle "Wapsie, for wood, and that amid
all this hardship and labor he was always
cheery, and greeted all with a pleasant woi'd.
Of keen perception, frugal and industrious,
he attained an opulence and raised a family
to fill places of honor and trust. He was a
true type of the American Irishman, adopt-
ing in spirit, as well as in name, the country''
to which he had sworn allegiance, and left
an inheritance for his children, not only of
material substance, but above all the right
idea of manhood.

On taking a trip to Chickasaw in the sum-
mer of 1857, when coming to the Middle
^Vapsie, I saw a rndo building covered with
ha}-, with smoke emitting from it, which
indicated that it was occupied, and as I was
thirsty, concluded to call and get a drink.
This was my first call on Barney Tieruey,
wiio was just starting his new^ home, and
the contrast between his hay shanty, amid a
wilderness of grass, and his spacious and well

14i HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

fuvnisheel bouse, immense liarns and well cul-
tivated fields of to-day show what industry,
economy and perseverance will accomplish.
The town of Chickasaw was started with
a desire to devehjp the water power, and to
build up a rival town to Bradford. John W.
Taylor, of Dubuque — Tucker being the local
active agent in pushing the enterprise —
was its backer. After it had figured quite
extensively on paper, a gentleman started
to pay it a visit, and reaching the town site.
uo town appeared to materialize. Seeing a
boy, he asked where Chickasaw was, and was
informed that ''the store is in that log house,
but Tucker is down at the mill."'' On arriving
at Chickasaw one of the most striking things
that I found was the firm of xVlbertson,
Waite A: Baldwin. AU^ertson was six feet
two inches in height, Baldwin six feet three
inchesr and Waite six feet seven inches. If
Tucker's legs had been as long in proportion
as his back, he w^ould have outmeasured
them all. On ramarking as to the size of
Waite's hand, '"Piro.'' Whitmore declared
that "it was as big as the hand of Provi-
dence." In those days Chickasaw was a
little "loud," and Sunday was a great day
for sport.

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 145

At the organization of Obispo township, J.
J. Rutherford was elected one of the Justices
of the Peace. Soon after his election, a
3'oung German couple came to him and
wanted a divorce. Xot questioning their
right or his jurisdiction, he proceeded to
make out the papers. When the papers
were about read}" to si^u, the husband and
wife held a conference, and as a result, told
the Justice that thej' had looked the matter
over, and as it was coming on winter, if
divorced to take etfect then, they would have
to keep two Ores, and desired the loapers
made out to take effect in tlie spring. The
papers were changed as requested, and the
parties left contented. It took bub little to
give this Justice jurisdiction. Meeting his
neighbor, John Clason, he told him that he
was going to sue him next Frida}', as he had
been told to collect an account against him.
Clason remarked, "I nave paid that account
and will be on hand when sued." Without
further notice, on the Frida}'' following the
Justice entered judgment against Clason for
the full amount of the claim. Aflier au
injunction had been served on him and the
Constable who held the execution, the Jus-
tice said that Clason ought to have attended

i,i

14G niSTORIC.VL AND REMINISCENCES OF

to it, for he told him he was goiiipf to sue
him. He also threatened to issue papers and
impeach the County Judge for issuing an
injunction to restrain the collection of a
judgment of his rendering, and for interfer-
ing with his court.

At the fall election of 1S57 I attend my
first election in Chickasaw county, although
I had attended one in Allamakee county
before, and as I lived in Xew Hampton,
voted in that township. Election was held
in the log house of Josephus Straw, five
mile? from the town. This was the last
election held away from the village. Bos-
worth and I walked down, and as Bosworth
was running for Treasurer and Recorder,
stayed to see how the election went, and
found that Bosworth received two votes, his
own and mine. This was as expected.

The fall term, IS-jT, court was held in Gur-
ley's unfinished store building, seats being
improvised of rough boards laying on
timbers and the Judge was elevated upon
the work bench. He had a stand furnished
by Gurley for a desk. I was acting as Clerk
and used one end of the work bench for a
table. Judge Samuel Murdock [)resided and
made a political speech in the evening.

i\ > ,amoh hi

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 147

ri. Pi. liouiej' was elected a Justice of the
Peace at the organization of Chickasaw
township, and was a marked character in
his day, and was only exceeded in rotundity,
in the township, except by his neighbor Cud-
worth. With a limited education, large
frame and full abdomen, easy going and good
natured, and smoking a corn cob pipe with
an air of dignity, he was a typical specimen
of a new country squire. With a full sen^e
of the dignity of his position, reckless of
technicalities and precedcmt, ignoring legal
rules and untrammeled by the law of evi-
dence, in coming to conclusions he appealed
to his innate feeling of justice and common
sense, and results were generally right, and
was looked upon as one of the reliable men
of the county. Too easy going and careful
of over exertion to accumulate a fortune, he
was happy with his large family of boys, and
was satisfied with very plain fare, but when
his country called for volunteers to defend
lier integrity, he was rich in material, and
gave the largest number of any family in
the county, sending five.

While a trial was in progress before him,
a couple presented themselves to be married.
'Ihe Justice was nothing loth, but there

VII

14S HISTORICAL AND KKMINI.'=CP:NCKS OF

were unseen difficulties, but they were
finally overcome b}* his Honor keeping his
back to the wall as he slid into position,
thus keeping from view th.e catastrophe that
had befallen the rear of his pants.

The location of the villa.ue of New Hamp-
ton was owing to its being the geographical
center of the county and not for any natu-
ral advantages it possessed. It received its
name at the hands of a Xevr Hampshire man,
Osgood Gowen, who thus commemorated his
native town amid the hills of the old <.rranite
State by giving its name to this prospective
town. There had been a town of fonr blocks
laid out in the northwest corner of the south-
west quarter of section seven, in township
ninety-five, range twelve, and named Chick-
asaw Center, but the plat had never been
recorded. In the summer of 1S5G Messrs.
Gideon Gardner, Harrison Gurle}^ and Homer
Hamlin became interested in mucii of the
land that constitutes the original plat of
New Hampton, and kite in the fall moved
to their new homes. Guriey returne-l to
Grinnell for a .stock of goods that he had
ordered from the east before his purchase in
New Hampton, and moved tliera to Green-
wood, where he spent thf' winter, as there

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CniCKASAV,' COUNTY. IOWA. 149

was no place that could be had in New
Hampton until spring. ^Ivs. Gurley moved
into the northeast room of David Edwai-ds'
house with her little boy. "Willie," and
taught school in the same room during the
winter. The school room vras unfinished,
and as cheerless as the imagination could
well picture, with its walls of prairie mud
filled in between the flattened poles that
served as studding. Severed from husband
and friends, upon the wild, bleak prairie,
sorrowing the loss of an only daughter that
lay sleeping near her old home in Connecti-
cut, this faithful woman took up her task,
and with sore heart and tearful eyes, began
a lifework of self denial that has endeared
her to all who have known her.

Early in the history of Xew Hampton
there was a feeling that its foundations
should be laid with a firm trust in God, and
this strong religious feeling was exemplified
in the starting of a Sabbath school and in
the holding of devotional meetings. The
first sermon was preached by C.^I. Webster,
a Methodist, and the second by Wm. L.
Coleman, a Congregationalist. Both were
preached in the log house built by Jared,
iuid which subsequently became the "Old

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150 HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCENOES OF

Log Hotel.'" These gatherini: families were
all professed Christians, aiul felt the need of
organized work for the Master.

The New Hampton of 1S56-7 was not the
New Hampton of to-day. Where now are
business blocks, churches, school houses, the
homes of fond parents and joyous children,
then the wild prairie grass waved in its
luxuriant beauty, trailed by the wild deer
and prowling wolf, and the hiding place of
the prairie hen. The formative work went
on. Sabbath schools, devotional meetings,
and an occasional sermon b\' a traveling
preacher, until early in lS5S,when there was
felt the pressing need of some organization
that should bring a regular ministration of
the gospel, and voice their aspirations for a
higher life. A meeting. was called, and on
the Sth day of Februaiy met in the school
house, being the log house that had l)een
used by Gurley as a store and postoffice, at
which it was resolved:

To take the preliminary steps to orrranize a
Christian chnrch that shall embrace all evangelical
Christians.

Under said resolution a committee of seven
was appointed, consisting of Gideon Gardner,
David Edwards, D. Calkins, Caleb Arnold,

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CHICKASATT COUNTY. lOTVA. 151

Walter E. Beach, Dr. A\'i]son aud J. H.
Powers, to report a Basi^;, Articles of Faith
and Covenant. W. E. Beach lived in Jack-
sonville and Dr. Wilson in Eichland, and
neither of them ever met with the com-
mittee. Of the remainder of the committee,
Gideon Gardner was a Congref^ationalist,
David Edwai'ds a United Brethren, Denizen
Calkins a Free Will Baptist, and J. H. Powers
had never been a member of any church,
though raised a Presbyterian.

Report of committee made on the 13th of
February, and report approved and adopted.
On Sunday morning, the 14th of February,
1S5S, the citizens met in the old log school
house. The Rev. J. C. Strong, who was
then pastor of the Bradford Congregational
church, v/as present to aid in the services,
and a church was organized with Gideon
Gardner, ZS'aomi Gardner, Harrison Gurley,
Isabella Gurley, James D. Colt, Amelia Colt,
Jason Morton and Julius H. Powers as mem-
bers. At the April meeting following, Mr.
and Mrs. Olney were admitted as members
of the church bv profession. Februar}^ 6rh,
ISoO, C. 0. Oase^^Mrs. Mary Case, Miss Chri.:i-
tina Morton, Mrs. Hannah ^Morton. John L.
Vauauken, Mrs. Catherine Vauauken, Mrs.

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152 HISTOIUCAL AND KEMIXISCENCES OF

Emma Vaiianken, G. A. Hamilton and ]ilrs.
Piuth Ilajiiiltou joined.

At tlie organization of tlie church the
following i-esolution< were adopted:

Whereas, In the laiiijuage of John Wesley,
slavery is the sum of all villainies; and,

Whereas, It is a notorioas fact that not only
individual Christians, but churches, do tolerate it;
therefore,

R&iol:>.ed, That we will not feiujwship any per-
son who advocates the system of Ameiican slavery.

Besolvcd^ That we will not fellowship any indi-
vidual that traffics in, or makes use of, except for
mechanical, medicinal or sacramental purposes,
any spirituous or alcoholic liquors.

In the summer of 1S62 the church called
their first ref^ular pastor in the person of
Eev. Thomas N. Skinner. Mr. Skinner took
charge of the church July 5th, 1S62, and
remained prstor two years. While he was
pastor he preached every alternate Sunday
at Xew Hampton and Fayette. In the spring
of 1SG3 he commenced to agitate the build-
ing of a house of worship, and being rein-
forced by a return from the army of a
number of members, the work was begun,
and w^itb untiring zeal he worked early and
late to accomplish the end. Preaching twice

QJJJ

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 153

eveiy Sabbath, riding forty miles every week
between his charges, lie always wori^ed from
one to three days on the church building
each week, and was a true type of western
energy, and gave $50 out of his limited sal-
ary, besides his labor. During his pastorate
he preached in the lower story of the new
school house, and as the church building
was not dedicated before he left, he never
preached in it until his return on a visit,
when he occupied the pulpit. Thus one
soweth and another reapeth.

The next pastor called by the church was
the Rev. Harvey Adams, who commenced
his labors on the first day of December. ISGG,
and closed his services with the church
December 27th, 1S70. Mr. Adams was one
of the "Audover Band," who came to the
Territory of Iowa in 1843. This baud,
although not political, did much to give
trend to public sentiment against the domi-
nating influence of the southern emigration
tiuit came pouring into the Territory, and
largely owing to their intiuence and anti-
slavery sentiment, was there a party of
freedom formed, which came into power by
the election of James W. Grimes as Gov-
ernor.

154 HISTOIIICAL AND KEMINI5CENCES OF

In the spring of 1S5S I was appointed to
survey the Swamp Lands of the county so
as to prepare the evidence to present to the
United States under the grant of swamp
lands to the State, the same having been
transferred by the Legislature to the county.
Taking Zelotes Bailey, E. M. Aiken and 0.0.
Popleton with me, we proceeded to make
the survey. While running on the east side
of the county, in Stapleton township, we
came to the houses of Thomas Staples,
C. A. Orvis and E. D. Filer, a kind of aristo-
cratic settlement of good, comfortable frame
houses, quite in contrast v.ith most western
homes. I found Staples a live Yankee, who
had come west for business, and with energy
enough for a whole tov/uship. This was the
rock on which he split, allowing his energy
to run away with his judgment. If he was
doing well with one threshing machine, he
would at once bu}^ another. This was a type
of the man, and old settlers recall how he
run a farm with a large stock of cattle,
threshing machines, and a hotel, and divers
other kinds of business, and as a result he
proved a better disburser than gatherer, and
failed to make a financial success. Filer
and Orvis were not in the habit of looldnar

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CHICKASAW COUXTY, IOWA. 155

at life as a field callincj for great iDhysical
exertion, and when the prospect of beiu.i^
called into official positions appeared to
depart, their agricultural zeal departed also,
and they moved to greener pastures. North
of Staples we came to Michael Burns, a fuli-
souled, jolly, hospitable Irishman, and who
subsequently became amcmber of the Board
of Supervisors, and held the office of Justice
of the Peace so long, -and so supreme was
his contempt of precedent and the opinions
of higher courts, that his court became
known as "Burns' Supreme Court,"' and
while his legal attainments were not burden-
some, he had a faculty of remembering his
friends.

As we passed north into township ninety-
six we came bo the little log house of
John S. Lee. Lee was trying to make a
home, and having invested his money in
land, was relying upon what he could raise
for living and incidental expenses. It was
a struggle that required grit and persever-
ance. At this time postage to the east was
ten cents for a letter, and so straightened
was he for funds that a letter laid in his
house, after it was written, for six weeks, he
being unable to send it for want of money,

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156 HISTORICAL AND REMINESCENCKS OF

and only succeeded when a neighbor scut a
dime to town with him for tobacco, and he
got trusted for the tobacco and used the
mone}' to send the letter. It was by such
hardships as this, together with a rigid
economy added to industiy and persever-
ance, that he now has his elegant home,
stately barns and productive acres, and has
been able to give each of bis children, as
they left the paternal roof, a good farm and
that aid that does so much towards making
a successful start in life. When I see the
inheritance of industry they received from
their parents, crowned with success, I am
led to exclaim that their worldly goods are
not the richest of their inheritance.

Between Lee's and Jacksonville were Xoel
Gates on the east bank of Little Turkey, A. M.
Snider and Hugh Johnston on the hill west
of Little Turkey, "Win. Everingham in the
timber, and Dan Kirby on the east Ijank of
Crane Creek. Sylvester Reiley was living
on section seven, Terance Commerford on
section five, Owen Galigan on section eight,
and Amos J. Smith on the southeast corner
of section six, in township ninety-six, range
eleven.

There was a Catholic church on the north-

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CniOKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 157

west corner of section eight, it being the
first place of worship erected in the connty.
A.J.Smith lived about forty rods northwest
from the church, and was everywhere known
as "Yankee Smith," and was a very strong
Catholic and appeared to have the care of
tlie church building. I had my attention
specially called to this church and its bury-
ing ground, from the circumstance that <?
Catliolic family living in Bradford, one of
their children dying, and there being no
other consecrated ground in the county,
they took the child on a sheet which was
attached to two poles, like a stretcher, and
carried the same the whole twenty-seven
miles on foot. It took them two days to go,
and a liitle less to return. As they laid the
dead body on the ground while they rested,
it was as pathetic a scene as I had overseen.
I must say that outside of that church T have
ne^-er seen such devotion to the traditions
<">( the church, I have been in hopes that
some one who was present at the building
of this first church would give a history and
a full record of its birth and death registers,
together with its marriage record, for noth-
ing would throw a clearer light upon the
Ciuiy lii.story of that part of the county than
would such a record.

1')

15S HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

North, iu township ninety-seven, were the
Clasou brothers, Georjj^e Arnold and W. C.
Mitchell. Mitchell became an aspirant for
legislative honors, and ran as the Demo-
cratic candidate in 1S59, the district consist-
ing of Chickasaw and Bremer counties, and
was defeated by G. W. Ruddick, of Bremer
county. His majoritj' over Ruddick in
Bremer county was one hundred and twenty-
five, but the truth that "A prophet is not
without honor, save in his own country,''
was again exemplified, and he was defeated
by the vote of his own county.

George B. Arnold I had known in Ohio.
When I knew him in Ohio, he was the son
of opulent parents, dressed in broadcloth
and kid gloves. When I found him in Obispo
he was living in a little log house, teaching
school, and had the ajjpearance of having
come west to grow up with the country. In
fact, it appeared as though Iowa winters
and practical life had taken all the "dude"
out of him. He gave me a heart}' welcome,
and has ever remained one of Chickasaw
county's reliable men.

Passing over from Little Turkey to Crane
Creek, in township ninety-seven, range
twelve, we came to the log house of Samuel

fi'

CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 159

Shaff. wlio was keeping? a little store of
Lnocoiies. Passiug down the Creek into
township ninety-six, to a settlement' that
was known as "Up the Creek," we found
J. C. II. Miller. John and H. H. Shaffer, the
three Palmer brothers, and Langdon. On
approaching the log house of H. H. Shaffer,
tl.'O sound of niusic was heard, and on stand-
ing at the open door we saw Mrs. Shaffer
j'laying on the violin, holding the instru-
ment in her lap with the neck upwards near
the shoulder. The novelty of the thing,
added to the sweetness of the music, was
"uly equaled by the surprise of the per-
i >rmor when she found that she had an
audience. Her husband was elected County
Surveyor, and gathered a large property
which he left to his wife and sui"viviug
•'hihireu,

Al)ove this settlement stayed John Badg-
i''y, using one part of a log building for his
home and stabling his oxen in the other
I'-.irt. He had shielded his cattle from the
nn-lement weather by chinking between the
i"*'"^. although the gables were unclosed,
V'Ul ho was not so particular as to himself,
Hud the wind blew through between the
iiuohiuked logs so that his dog which sought

,LU

160 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

shelter under his bed was frozen to death.
This same Badgley appeared to be impervious
to exposure. He was crossing Crane Creek
during high water when the ice Vv-as running,
and he was upset into the water and floated
down stream until he caught hold of a bush.
The Inish was not large enough to sustain
him so that he could crawl out, but would
hold his head and shoulders out of the
water. He gave the alarm in lusty tones,
and the neighbors gathered on the bank of
the stream. There was no boat with which
to rescue him, but they caulked a wagon
box, and launching it above with a rope
attached, floated it, after repeated trials, to
within his reach, he having been in the
water more than an hour. He was taken
into the house and clothing wrapped around
him, but he declared he would not remain,
and on inquir}' it was found that his uneasi-
ness was caused by remembering that his
money was in his coat, and feaiing that it
would be lost, he had taken off his coat and
hung it on a bush. It was recovered next
morning.

In North "Washington we found S. W.
Byers, James Rumbaugh, Jonas Rice, J. H.
Vantassel and two or three others. Byers

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 101

vra:v engaged iu burning a kiln of brick
and was running several lines of business,
including a store. He had invented a brick
machine that he represented was to revo-
lutionize the brick making business, and
expatiated upon the advantages of North
Washington as a place for a town. It seemed
to me then, and time has not changed the
impression, that in his enthusiasm he was lia-
ble to undertake more than he could accom-
plish. Jonas Rice was the castle builder
of the place, and could talk up a line of
business so as to convince himself that want
of success was an impossibility, but in prac-
tice his plani never materialized, and his
life has been a chase after the unattainable.
Vantassel was the more practical, and his
quiet, persistent business habits have made
him one of the successes of the county.

During the spring of 1S5S partisanship
run high, owing to the pendency of the
county seat question, and pervaded all lines
of action, and the contending forces, as to
north and south, were as much a part of
every suit in court, as were the facts in the
case.

Among the early suits that brought in
contact the contending forces, was a case of

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162 niSTOKICAL AXD REMINISCENCES OF

replevin, the writ liaviiig been issued by C.
Arnold, a Justice of the Peace at New Hamp-
ton, the writ beinf? in the hands of B. E.
]\Iorton, a Constable of New Hampton, for
service. He served the same bv criviusr
notice to Carter and taking possession of a
yoke of cattle, and had started for home,
when he was overtaken by a large company
of Carter's friends, and the cattle forcibly
taken from him. To give color to this pro-
ceeding, a counter replevin was at once sued
out before J. Q. A Quackinbush, a Justice of
the Peace of Fredericksburg, against the
New Hampton constable. This trial pro-
ceeded before Quackinbush, in the meantime
the cattle disappeared. During the second
day of this trial, the Constable prolonging
the trial while his men were out looking for
the cattle, an altercation occurred in the
court room between Ozro Hill and Charles
Snow. A fight ensued, and Hill got Snow
*'in chancery,"' and the blood was spattering
the bystanders, when Case, a one-legged
man, jumped up in high glee, and as he
brought his wooden leg down with a thud,
yelled "Give him h — 11." In a few minutes
the position of the combatants was changed
and the other fellow was ''in chancery;"'

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. IGo

then came the same cheerful words from the
same part}', and the gleeful jumping was
resumed. Outsiders interfered, aud among
the number was D. B. Hanan.

In the melee Hanan was struck by one of
the parties and was taken out bleeding.
Under the directions of the court, there was
an information filed against each of the par-
ties to the assault, charging them with
assault and battery, and the cases taken up
for trial at once, the court holding that
criminal business took precedence over civil
cases. On the trial, Hanau was employed
for the defense, and was put on the stand as
a witness for the state. As he sat giving his
testimony, and wiping the blood from his
wounds, he became facetious and playful,
and testified that he did not think they
intended to hit him, but that it was a little
fun the boys were having, and that vvas all.
As he came off the stand he turned to the
accused and remarked. "I will defend you
now, buG as true as there is a God in Israel,
I will get even with you for this." On the
second night after the trial began, the Xe\\-
Hampton Constable learned that the oxen
had been run into the edge of Bremer county,
beyond his jurisdiction, but nothing daunted,

1 . 1

1G4 JIISTOKICAL AND KEMINISCENCES OF

he took a basket of corn, sayiug, "There is
uo Law against oxen following a man,'" and
they followed him across the county line,
when he immediately took possession of
them, and before morning he had them
secreted in North Washington, beyond the
reach of the Fredeiicksburg forces.

A little after noon the following day, a
boy came and reported the cattle gone. At
this Carter ordered the suit stopped, and it
was dismissed.

The two Justices of the Peace in Freder-
icksburg, were J. Q. A. Quaekiubush and 0.
H. P. Searles. Quackinbush was a very pre-
cise and dignified man, never allowing him-
self to be inveigled into any hilarity, and his
position as Justice of the Peace intensified
this dignity.

Searles was as different as well could be,
and was a rollicking, joyous boy among the
boys, as full of anecdote as an egg of meat,
and a veritable Munchausen. The mythical
stories he told, of which he was the hero,
were many and amusing. As a sample of
one of his mildest and most modest, he
declared that he had a neighbor who had a
drove of fifty hogs that had grown so large
that there was no cask or kettle in the whole

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CniCuASAW COUNTY, IOWA, 165

coiinti y large enough to <cald them in, and
lie otlered a dolhir a head to any one who
would take the bristles off those hogs. He
then declai-cd he took the job, and added:

"■There was a little lake close at hand and a pile
of stones by the side of it, and I built a tire on the
pile of stones and when they were hot, threw them
into the lake. This made the water boiling hot,
and while it was boiling, 1 rushed the hogs through
the lake ar.d the}' came out on the other side and
running through a patch of hazel brush, in fire
minutes they had scraped every bristle off. The
owner had to catch and dress them, as my contract
v/ith the owner was only to take the bristles off.'-

During the county seat disturbance, an
altercation arose between the sheriff and a
little lawyer by the name of Fox, who lived
in Chickasaw, and as Fox turned to go, the
sheriff accelerated his motion by a well
directed kick. This gave rise to an action
for damages, and the case was brought
before G. K. Rowley, a Justice of the Peace.
A jury was demanded, and after being
impaneled, the trial began. During the
progress of the trial. Fox took the stand to
give evidence as to the manner of the assault.
D. A. Babcock and A. J. Felt were the attor-
neys for the defendant, and when they took

lOl) HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OP

the witness for cross examination, they by
cross questions, located the place of the bat-
tery, and then demanded that the witness
be required to exhibit the injured part to the
jury, so that the jury could jud;^^e for them-
selves the extent of the injury. This was
stoutly resisted bj^ Fox, who was acting as
his own attorney, and hours were spent in
arguing the question, the court being in
doubt as to his duty in making the order,
until a juror interposed and threatened to go
home if they did not stop fooling. The exhi-
bition was overruled, and on submission to
the jury a verdict was rendered for the plaint-
iff. The case was appealed and died
between the courts, as the plaintiff did not
desire further action.

On the fourth of July, 1857, I walked over
to Jacksonville to attend the only celebra-
tion in the county. The speaker of the day
was J. H. Dickens, supplemented by remarks
by E. W. Beach. There were toasts and
songs, and the song that appeai-ed to give
the most satisfaction v/as one which run,
*'The cars are coming through this town, I
know," and I had the honor of responding to
the toast, "No north, no south, but all citi-
zens of one county." Being a supposed rep-

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CniCKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 167

resentative of the south half of the county,
this gave me an oiiportnnity to. show my
cosmopolitan views, and as I was posing as
a young attorue}'" looking after the main
chance, this was no time for excessive mod-
esty, and if ph\titndes and soaring, with a
strong spice of t.^fiy, was filling the bill, then
I was a blooming success, and I closed with
the sentiment, ''G-reen, the founder of Jack-
sonville, may his enterprise be successful
and his memory as green as his name."
This thought brought out a speech from
Hazard Green, and he glowingly pictured
the cars runnmg through the town, and
exulted in the prospect of hearing the steam
whistle in a few months. This called for the
repetition of the song:

"The cars are comiDoj through this town, I know."

Among the number in attendance at this
celebration, was George Arnold, an old Ohio
acquaintance, and as I cam3 off the platform,
he greeted me and wanted to know if I "was
that little white headed cuss that attended
the Academy in Mesopotamia?''

The gathering of the sparsely settled pop-
ulation could not help but make a joyous
fime. for it was not often that these old set-
tlers met and broke the loneliness of their

; 9di snomA

16S IIISTOKICAL AXD r.EMINISCENCKS OF

hard lives as they were struggling to make
homes. Jacob Cla^^ou led the music, and he
had brought a little wheezy melodeou, and
the pride with which he displayed it was
equal to that of any modern miss when she
receives her first piano.

After the vote liad been taken upon the
removal of the County Seat from Xew Hamp-
ton to Forest Citj', there was much interest
in the canvass, as Xew Hampton had once
lost their rights when it was Ijetween Brad-
ford and Xew Hampton, bj^ the canvassers
throv,'ing out Washington Township, and
many from all parts of the county were
present to witness the pi-oceediugs. At this
time, the Retui-ns were required to be depos-
ited with the County Clerk, as they were
delivered by the Messengers from the several
Townships. J. H. Pouers was acting as
County Clerk, and on the day before the law
required the votes to be canvassed, and when
all the returns were in the safe, with the
exception of those from Deerfield and Wash-
ington Townships, the County Judge
demanded tlie key to the safe, and the Clerk
surrendered it to him. At this time the
Washington Returns were in the hands of the
Messenger, and had been in town several

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C^ICKASA^Y COUNTY, IOWA. 169

hours, but for reasons best known to him-
self, he had failed to deposit theiu with the
Clerk. The Returns of Deerfieid were oifered
to the Clerk V13' the "Messen^jjer, but as he had
no safe place in which to keep them, he
refused to take them into his posses.-;ion, but
referred the ^lessenger to the County Judge,
and they were delivered to him sometime in
the afternoon of the day before the canvass.

The County Offices, at this time, were all
held in the upper room over Gurley's store.
The room was plastered with a tiiin coat of
niorter, but none of the other rooms were
plastered. J. II. Powers slept in the adjoin-
ing room on the south, and w'as awakened in
the n'ght by a murmer of voices. His curi-
(»sity was at once aroused, and soon he heard
u man say, "Hand it to me? Til do it, I am
not afraid."' and then there was silence for jl
short time, when the same speaker said,
'"There, that will fix it, and possession is nine
points in tiie law.'' Then some one uttered
a w;uTiing s-h-h, and asked it any one slept
in the adjoining room. Then some one said,
*it don't make any diffeieuce, for we can
prove an alliin by each other, and we can
swear any one to the devil that da-e peep."

The next morning, while the Clerk was at

170 HISTORICAL AXD HEMIXISCENCES OF

the hotel for breakfast, the canvas? com-
menced, and when lie retnrned they were on
the second township. CoinphT-int was made
by the Clerk, as it was his dnty to keep a
tally list, and the canvass v/as delayed until
the entry of the two townships which
had been canvassed could be made iu
the Clerk's record. Then the canvass pro-
ceeded, the Judge taking the envelopes
containing the returns and pinching off
little bits at a time, until the end was
opened, and then v,-ithdrawing the returns,
passed them over to the canvassers. These
envelopes were carefully preserved by the
Clerk, and the little pieces that had been
torn off vvhere first fitted on so as to identify
where they came from, and then placed in
the envelope from which tbey were torn.

These envelopes (January 20, 1S92) are in
the possession of J. H. Powers.

On examination it was found that Deer-
field's returns had been opened by cutting
along the end of the envelope, in the fold,
and liad been stuck together with mucilage.
In opening, the judge had opened the end
that had not been tampered with. Next
came ^^'a5hiugton Township., and when the
envelope was opened, there was no accora-

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 171

pauying Poll List enclosed. These returns
were in the hands of the County Judge the
niglit before, and of course could not have
been disturbed by any one without his
knowledo^e, after they came into his hands.

In the subsequent trial of the County Seat
question, the Tovrnship Clerk swore that the
list was made, and that it was not left with
hiiu, or in his office. The whole returns of
Washington Township were promptly
thrown out and not counted. It was found
that Deerfield returns had been tampered
with, and the vote for New Hampton reduced
ten votes.

The rejection of the vote of Washington,
or the reduction of the ten from Deerfield,
either of them, would change the result, and
give Forest City the majority. Without
waiting to accertain the results of the elec-
tion on any thing but the County Seat, and
as soon as the columns were added showing
a majority for Forest City, after excluding
Washington and the ten from Deerfield, the
County Judge declared Forest City the
County Seat, and immediately adjourned
court and the Board of Canvassers to meet
at Forest City at 2 o'clock p. m.

Vvithin a few" minutes the books, papers

172 IIISTOIUCAL AND REMINISCENCES OB^

and furDiture of the couuty offices were
being carried down and loaded into wa^ions
wliicli the Forest City people had in readi-
uess, and the safe was pitched ont of the
window, and in falling, one of its legs were
broken oti, and the safe was placed npon a
wooden '"drag" that had been prepared for
the purpose, to which was attached a long
string of cattle, being the oxen from several
breaking teams. When loaded, the proces-
sion started for Forest City, E. P. Greeley
and D. A. P>abcock acting as drivers of the
oxen, swinging their whips and each trying
to outdo the other with their yells of " who
haw buck."'

During this time, and while all was
activity in the removal of the books and
papers, a meeting of citizens claiming that
their rights had been invaded, was being held
in the old log school house, to take into con-
sideration the course to be pursued.

This meeting was addressed b}' some who
were in a perfect frenzy of excitement, who
were in favor of forcible resistance and the
reclaiming of the county records, and their
return to where they belonged. Others,
more discreet, counsoled milder measures,
and the cooler ones finally triumphed, and a

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 173

committee was appointed to commence legal
proceedings to reclaim rights that were
wrongful!}' taken from them by those hold-
ing official positions.

In accordance with instructions, a suit was
commenced at the next term of the District
Court, and on the third day of June, 1S5S. an
information was tiled in the Clerk's office,
asking that a Writ of Mandamus compelling
the Board of Canvassers to count the votes
that had been cast, including those of Wash-
ington Township, together with the ten that
had been taken oS. from Deerfield. A special
term of court was held in August to hear
the case, and an Alternate Writ was issued,
and on final hearing, a Peremptory Writ was
issued, and respondents appealed.

At the same time of the filing of the Peti-
tion for a Writ of Mandamus, a Petition
was filed askkig for a Writ of Certiorari.
At the special session of the District Court
to try these cases, these papers could not bo
found, and leave was granted to file new
ones at the next term of court. The Man-
damus case was reversed by the Supreme
Court as being an improper remedy for
correcting the vote of Deerfield, while it was
ail right to compel the counting of the

174 niSTOTxICAL AND KEMIMSCENCES OF

Wasbington returns, and in the opinion
given by the Supreme Court it was intimated
that Injunction wouhi )je a proper remedy.
I immediately started on horseback for Gar-
uavillo, wliere Judge Murdock resided, and
on the r2th day of April, 1S59, an applica-
tion was made to the District Judge for an
Injunction restraining the county officers
from holding their offices at any other place
in Chickasaw County other than at Xew
Hampton.

At tlie following spring term cf court,
the Writ had been granted for temporary
relief, the case was brought on for finol
hearing, and that, v.'ith the Certiorari,
were decided in favor of New Hamp-
ton. Thus New Hampton had resf(^.rod
to her by the courts, what had been taken
from her by fraud and the misguided acts of
the Canvassing Board. After the Injunction
was served on the county officers, they were
loth to obey, and not until C. 0. Case, who
was a Xew Hampton man, did any of them
obey. In the fail v\-hen District Court con-
vened, E. II. Williams having been elected
District Judge, his attention was called to
their contempt of the writ, and he very
peremptorily told them that it would be to

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 175

their iDterest to obey the writ, and they
immediately responded by returning to New
Hampton.

There was a crude panorama of the County
Seat scenes painted at Chickasaw, and " Bro."
Whitmore delivered an impassioned address
upon the same. The first scene represented
Powers delivering the safe key to Judge
Bailey. The key, as represented, was about
three feet long, and was being passed to the
Judge, and had passed about six inches
beyond the point of the Judge's nose before
he could reach it. As this scene came in
sight AYhitmore would bellow out, "Powers,
give me that safe key!" and it never failed
to bring do\vn the house. Another scene
was a long string of oxen drawing the safe,
with Greeley and Dave Babcock as drivers,
and as it passed along Greeley was heard to
yell, "Dave, lick up those head bulls!" The
climax of the exhibition was reached when
Judge Bailey was represented as making a
speech when the county books arrived at
Forest Cit}*, and Whitmore impersonated
the Judge in making his speech, and it could
hardly help entertaining anyone who had a
ta^te for corned}'. These paintings v;ere
subsequently arranged as transparencies and

17G HISTOKICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

exliibiteil during court at Xew Hampton,
but the carrying of them ^Yas not very pop-
ular after the Bradford boys got a habit of
deluging them from upper windows, and
they were retired from public exhibition
and were used as kitchen curtains for sev-
eral years by R union. The personal feeling
engendered by the County Seat disturbance
remained for several years, and woe be to
any aspirant for ofSce who had been one of
the actors. Party affiliations were ignored,
personal obligations disregarded, and the
question of locality was paramount.

During the fall of 1S5S I made ray first
visit to Deerfield. As it was an electioneer-
ing trip, I met most of the prominent set-
tlers. Stopping at Heman Culver's, I found
him surrounded by a large family, consist-
ing of two boys and a whole troop of girls.
He proved to be one of the most genial of
hosts, and his wife met the full requirements
of an ideal hostess- Their hospitality was
abounding in all that makes a guest com-
fortable and contented. Although they were
living in a log house that was taxed to its
utmost capacity to hold their large family,
and although, when retiring, I was notified
that I should have to sleep in the- shed,

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OHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 177

wLere they had erected a bed, with my host
as a bed fellow, it was done iu such a genial
and hospitable manner that there was no
feeling that I was an intruder taxing their
hospitality, but a feeling that it was a mutual
pleasure. What would not many a person
walking in what is called the "higher cir-
cle.s,'' give for this tact?

This was the first time that I had met J.
A. Sawin ''on his native heath," and at that
time there was no indication that he had any
ambition to enter the responsible positions
he subsequently occuj^ied. In 1S62 he was
elected County Superintendent of common
schools, and cid much towards straightening
out the schools so they would comply with
the new school law. He moved to New
Hampton and became the editor of the New
Hampton Courier, having leased the interest
of W. E. Beach, leaving the publishers,
iSawin k Young. He left the county in 1S62,
returning to Wisconsin, While in Deerrield,
he was a fair disciple of Isaac Walton, and
many a string of fish has he landed on the
banks of the classic Wapsie. Mason Harris
and W. H. Larrabee were among the leading
men of the township, and M. P. Choat met
tue on the square, and ever proved to be a
12

178 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

reliable aud consistent friend. The main
object of m}' visit was to consolidate the
northern part of the count3- on E. H. \Yil-
liarns as District Judge, and Elijah Odell as
District Attorney, and T had no reason to
regret the effort, for every vote in the town-
ship was cast for them.

On leaving the county, J. A. Sawin having
sold his interest in the Courier to G. M.
Reynolds, the office of County Superintend-
ent became vacant, and the Board of Super-
visors appointed the Rev. Thomas ]N. Skinner
to fill the unexpired term. He was at that
time preaching for the Congregational church
at New Hampton. He was a fine scholar,
and entered the work with vim, but was too
plain spoken in his criticisms of teachers
and their work, and in calling attention to
the insufficiency of the school houses and
want of proper i)ooks, to become popular.

There was much dissatisfaction with the
school law, forming, ms it did, one district of
each organized township, with sub-districts,
all governed by the one township board.
The law had been reported by the quasi
legislative body, the State School Board, as
provided by the nev/- constition, and their
work had been reviewed and amended bv

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CHICKASAW COUNTY. lOVVA. 179

the General Assembly, luit nuiuy thought
the change too radical and mourned for the
old individual independence of the one-man
power. This feeling was so widespread that
the Board of Supervisors, at their meeting
in 1S63,

Resolved^ That the Board of Supervisors of
Chickasaw County, Iowa, deem after long experi-
ence and mature reflection, the present school
system of Iowa a nuisance — a conglomerate of
misunderstandings and inconsistencies, having a
direct tendency to squander the school fund and
benefiting the youth of our State but very little;
and that we would recommend and use our
influence to have the present school law remodeled,
and each sub-district of the township to have the
exclusive control and management of their own
school matters, and that the County Superintend-
ent be instructed to forward a copy of this resolu-
tion to the Secretary of the Board of Education.

This is an indication that they had been
hurt and had lost the individual control of
their school, and probably did not recall the
old adage that "The pride of the school dis-
trict is the fool of the town." The law has
stood the test of three decades, and the
schools of the State have become the pride
of everv well balanced citizen.

(19

J LtOB

iaOOU.

ISO nisToiacAL and keminiscences of

It is with a smile that ^\"e look back at the
resolves of these wise county solons, as they
sat in judgment on this law that at that
time had only been in force two years, and
declare that ''after long experience and
mature reflection." I think they could all
read, and I never had much trouble in
deciphering their '^vriting, but they bought
a twelve-dollar dictionary to decide whether
it was "s]>ile-driver"' or "pile-driver." The
board were about to purchase such an arti-
cle, and L. H. Weller called it '^ pile-driver,"
and Frank Dane called it '"spile-driver."
Dane was at once corrected by the erudite
gentleman from Bradford. Dane at once
asserted the correctness of his way of call-
ing it, and ridiculed the idea of it being
called "pile-driver." Earnest and eloquent
speeches were made,7;ro and con- and to settle
the matter the Sheriff was ordered to get a
dictionar3\ A. E. Bigelow w^as acting as
Sheriff, and he went out and bought a
twelve-dollar dictionary and presented it to
the board, together with the bill. The cause
for which it was ordered was lost sight of in
the reflection upon the light in which these
representatives of the people would be looked
upon in buying such a book for their educa-

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. ISl

tion. G. A. Hamilton was County Auditor,
and had made application to have his salaiy
increased one hundred dollar-" per year, and
seeing the obligation he '»>uald place the
board under to him if he helped them out
of this unfortunate dilemma, he proposed
to take the book off their hands and not
have the account of the same appear in the
record. They promptly accepted the offer,
and as promptly raised his salary one hun-
dred dollars a year, thus making the tax-
payers pay, in fact, one hundred dollars for
this dictionary.

Among the first settlers of Richland
township was John D. Hawse, who was loan-
ing money at a high rate of interest, gener-
ally forty per cent. It was reported that he
was the representative of William Picket,
who lived east. L. H. Weller had become
the son-in-law of Picket, marrying his only
daughter and prospective heiress. There
was a little antagonism existing between
Weller and Hawse, and it was rumored that
after Hawse came west there was another
exemplification of the old adage, "While the
cat is away the mice are at play," and that
Hawse had been supplanted in a way that
entirely changed his prospective relations to

.;Ij

1S2 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

the Picket fal■nih^ This feelinp: left good
fallow groniul for trouble, and in one of
their interviews it ripened into a personal
encounter, and teller became the fleeing
and Hawse the pursuing party. In the
melee Weller was hit on tlje head, which
assault was destined to figure in the courts,
in after years, in a suit against Hawse for
alleged injuries to the person and mind of
Weller, he claiming that it nuich impaired
his mental and physical powers. It remained
in the court of this county for a time, was
taken by change of venue to Howard county,
and was eventually decided in favor of
Hawse. Perhaps Weller was not quarrel-
some by nature, but he was certainly unfor-
tunate in his encounters, and when he
came out second best with a Bradford
party, the victor was presented with an
immense leather belt, which was delivered
with much eclat, including public speeches
and song. Having let all his plowing on one
of his farms to William Shoemaker, he agree-
ing to plow all that had been plowed, when it
was about finished, he put in an appearance,
and the question of payment was suggested
by the worknian. At this he was coolly
informed that the slough had once been

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CniCKAiAW COUNTY, IOWA. ISo

plowed, althougli no attempt had been made
to cultivate it for year^;, and that there
would be no payment until tliat was plowed.
The outraged workman then said, ''Then I
will take it out of your hide." The process
commenced, but in a short time Weller
appeared to think this too expensive, and
promised payment if released. As soon as
released he started for town, calling back,
"I will go and have you arrested for this.*'
Quickly came the retort, '"Then I will
take that out of your hide too," and
he commenced to execute his threat. In
time there was a feeling that the matter
had gone far enough, and on promise to pay
and not prosecute, he was again released.
Going at once to the office of Dr. Mixer for
personal repairs, he was sewed, patched, and
sponged, into reasonable shape, and when
the job was done he put hi- hand in his
pocket and asked the doctor what was to
pay. At this the doctor, in his most genial
way, said, " Nothing, nothing at all, I am
amply paid to know that you got your deserts
once." Weller was subsequently elected to
Congress over Thomas Updegraph, an ex-
congressman, by an overwhelmuing major-
ity. At the next term he was again a caudi-

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1 ,067? 8a ^i leq

1S4 niSTOniCAL and rwEMINISCEXCES OF

date against W. E. Fuller, of West Uniou,
and was as badly beaten as was his oponent
the term before- He was a candidate against
Aaron Kimball, of Howard county, the dis-
trict being Chickasaw, Bremer and Howard
counties, for State Senator, and carried
Bremer and Chickasaw counties by one hun-
dred and twenty-five majority each, but Kim-
bail carried Howard by a much larger vote
than both of these and vcas elected. He also
served as Justice of the Peace for Bradford
township. Probably as a specimen of the
genus homo, he has not a counterpart in the
world, and would put to shame the school-
master in Goldsmith's deserted village,

"For, e'en though vanquishe'd, he could argue still;
While words of learned length and thundering sound
Amazed the gazing rustics ranged around,
And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew."

Yet he has consideral)le native ability, and
in following out his crotchets, he has delved
among a class of authors whose vrorks are
seldom found on the shelves of scholars. If
be could have had a good balance wheel, he
would have reached a much higher point
than he is now likely to attain.

As I Vv-as the only professional man of any
kind within many miles of New Hampton, I

CHICKASA^V COUNTY, IOWA. 1S5

had calls, some of which were appalling, buh
arising to the emergenc}', I soon found m3'self
getting quite a practice as a ph3'sician, den-
tist, and surgeon. Borrowing a turnkey that
was originally made for extracting colt's
teeth, and attaching a smaller hook, I was
prepared for business, and as there w^as
power enough in the instrument to extract
a white oak stump, whenever I hooked on,
the tooth had to come, and many a victim
that came to my office with the toothache,
left nursing a lacerated jaw. George Arnold,
of Utica township, came and said he had
two teeth lie wanted extracted, remarking
that ever}* one th&t had tried had failed. I
hitched on, and if you ever heard the deep-
sounding bay of the bloodhound wdien he
sighted his game, you have a faint idea of
the sound that followed; but the tooth came
out, and so did a splinter of the bone to
which it was attached. About six weeks
afterward I met him on the prairie between
his house and New Oregon, with a shawl
over his head. On accosting him he said
that I had hurt him so that he had been up
to have a doctor draw his other tooth, and
then pathetically addei.b "jhe darned fool
pulled out more of the jaw bone than you

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ISG HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCENCES OF

did."' I was called up early on tlie morning
of the fourth of July, and found Jenny
Brand, a buxoni Scotch lass, who wanted
some teeth extracted. Seating her in the
front door and taking her head l)et\veen my
knees, I pulled out three double teeth, and
no souna was uttered until the last was out,
when she jumped up and said, "Xow, brother,
T can go to the dance, can't I?'' This family
moved to Oregon, and Jenn}" is the mother
of a large family of Scotcli-Amevicans, if I
may be pardoned for using the term, for
Scotchmen who become citizens are so thor-
oughly Americanized that you seldom hear
of the prefix. In surgery I had quite a prac-
tice. I recall one day's work. We had
erected a pole swing, and Abner Jackson was
showing how high ho could swing, and slip-
ping, shot off on the prairie. Striking on his
hands, both wrists were dislocated, and his
hands and arms looked like grindstone
cranks. On examination I found that both
wrists were dislocated, the carpal bones
where they articulated with the ulna and
radius, and where they articulated with the
metacarpal bones. I reduced them with
great skill, but failed to fully i-eplace the
cuneiform bone on the left wrist, and it lett

I li

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 1S7

a small bunch. Just as I had finished this
job, I was called to go out thiee miles to
dress a wound on Emanuel Watham, an ox
having stuck his horn under his lip, it coming
out just under his e^'e. Here I made a
mistake, for I commenced to sew at the
top of the wound and, when I came
to the dividing line on the lip it did not
come out even, and when he got well there
was a little notch on the line of his lip, but
othervv'ise it got well all right. On my road
home I met a messenger urging me to make
haste, as Isl. C. Roboy's little girl had fallen
off the fence and broken her collar boue.
This was the last call I received that day, it
not being a very good day for surgery. It
taught me a lesson of caution, however, for
when William Wilkins slid off of a hay-
stack, followed by a hay-knife, which struck
with the edge across his nose, as he looked
up to see what had become of it, nearly sev-
ering it from his face, I took the first stitch
^t the top, for I did not want to mar his
looks by sevring it on crooked. It grew on
all right, but the scar that it left looks like
a string of yarn laying across his nose.
My surgical outfit consisterl of a jack knife,
a three-cornered glovers needle, a rov/eliug

ISS HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

ueedle, aud a pair of bullet moulds for for-
ceps. My pharmaceutical outfit was more
elaborate. I had ••Culver's Phj^sic," a root
that grew upon the prairie that possessed, in
its effects, many of the properties of blue
mass, salts and castor oil, for cathartics;
boneset, salt and water, and mustard, for
emetics, and nettles for a counterirritant.
Then there was penuyro3'al, catnip, horse
mint and peppermint for teas for children.
I also was presented with a bag of saffron to
be used on very young children, and in case
of measles, but the fair doner did not tell
me where, in case of measles, I was to get
the other articles of hard cider and its
accompanying ingredient, to make the pre-
scription full as a New England Orthodox
remedy. A syring was improvised b}'' insert-
ing a hollow elder into the neck of a bladder,
and while we did not, like Sancho Pauza,
"give clysters of salt, snow-water and sand,"
we found a very good remedy in soap suds aud
milk. As an antifebrile, we used slipper}''
elm, and it also made a very soothins: poul-
tice. There was one remedy that we used
as a general alterative, and in case where
there was an unsatisfactory diagnosis, and
that was a tea made of the ashes aud coal

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CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 1S9

left when burning prairie gra^s and weeds,
and it became very popular, especially when
colored with burned sngar, and the doses
ordered dropped out with great care. Some
cynic may call this cliarlatnaism, in thus prac-
ticing upon the credulity of my patients, but
they all got well, and I have the feeling that
I shall long remain unharmed, if I wait for
some regular practitioner, who is without
like sin, to cast the first stone. We had
none of the modern anticeptics, but in lieu
of carbolic acid, sublimate, etc.. we used
powdered charcoal. Not having anes thetics,
we substituted it with '" grin and bear it,"
and it did very well, so far as the operator
was concerned. Medicating madens, waiting
upon matrons, reducing dislocations and set-
ting broken bones, binding up wounds and
pulliug teeth, and administering to many
unknown ills, I had a practice that would
have been the envy of a young physician, but
somehow there was a feeling that my
services were often called for, for the reason
that I made no charges.

Think not that there were no other calls
in other lines, in a new country life, for
often have I been called and tried to comfort
mourning ones, by a few last words over the

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190

niSTOEICAL AXD REMINISCENCES OF

graves of loved ones. Some of these are the
saddest in memory, 3'et they had a silver
sheeu behind the dark cloud. Sad, that 1
was called upon to witness the proof that
man is mortal, ard that hearfe were called
to bleed as the last sad rites over their loved
ones are performed, yet bright in the hope
and trust that the vouno^ flower or matured
fruit has been transplanted to a more con-
genial clime on the other side. Cominr/
from an eastern home, bringing forth her
first born after months of loneliness, home-
sickness and privation, and then, just as the
little one had filled the mothers heart, to
have it taken from her and buried on the
bleak prairie, is an experience that many a
young mother has been called to pass through
in her western home.

It was related that at the funeral of Xoel
Gates, a man past seventy, there being no
one to conduct religious service, and feeling
that it would be barbarous to bury him witl°
out something more than just covering him
with the cold earth, it was suggested that a
hymn be sung. Under this sug-estion some
one started the old funeral hymn:

"Sister, thou wast mild and lovely,
Gentle as the summer breeze,"

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CHICK ASAAY COUNTY, IOWA. 191

But tbe Uulicrousness of the words, when
taken in connection with the old man whom
they were burying, was too much for their
dignity, and voice after voice was silenced
with suppressed mirth, and there was a
fading out of every voice at the end of the
second line. This appeared to be a favorite
hymn, perhaps the only one that memory
recalled, and was sung as the funeral service
at the burial of old Mrs. Bellows, William
Everingbam and N. R. Johnston constitut-
ing the choir. Everingham insists that there
were others that attempted to sing, but that
he and Johnston were the only ones that
held out to the end. Thus we see that there
was a struggling after civilized forms under
difficulties.

A trip to McGregor's Landing, which was
our nearest market, took from five to six
days, and with bottomless sloughs, streams
unbridged and hills ungraded, small loads
were a necessity, and with wheat at forty
cents a bushel, and dressed pork at one and
one-half to two dollars per hundred, the
greatest economy was necessary to pay
expenses, if hotels were patronized, and
farmers were obliged to sleep under wagons
and carry their provisions vrith them, if they
saved anything.

inr

IfJO

192 HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCENCES OF

That there should be a longing for a rail-
road was but uatural. Every straw was
caught at and every suggestion nourished,
that .!j;ave the slighest hope of securing one.
A railroad grade had been commenced at
North McGregor, on a survey running up
Bloody Run, that had been made by a com-
pany whose leading spirit was Jack Thomp-
son, of Clermont. This companj" was known
as the 'McGregor, St. Peters and Missouri
Eiver Railroad Compan\% and Judge Bailey
of this county and Judge Call of Ivossuth
county were elected directors. De?con
Clinton vras imported from Wisconsin to
assist in soliciting aid for this companj^ as
he had been very successful in Wisconsin, in
this line of work, and tu give him prestage
he was elected one of the directors.

A series of meetings were held along the
proposed line, and donations of land solicited,
with the avowed purpose of using them as a
basis of credit, to aid in the construction of
the road. The wily Deacon was an expert
in showing the great advantage that would
accrue to the farmer, even if they donated
one-half of their lands. That the want was
pressing, and that he aroused enthusiasm,
was evidenced by his success, and many

07/

no
o^

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 193

tracts of laud were deeded to the company.
Notable among the donors was David Ed-
wards of New Hampton, he giving three
eiglities, being nearly oue-lialf of his posses-
sions. As might have been expected, these
donations were absorbed without any per-
ceptable advance in building the road. For
this campaign, Judge Bailey had prepared a
speech, and the '"boys" found out that on
the slightest provocation, it could be called
out. and many a time have I listened to his
roarings, and the applause that was sure to
follow, was certain to increase its volume.
In one of his climaxes, in showing the
exhilerating effect the advent of the road
would have on the farmer, he likened it to
the feelings of an old batchelor after he had
tasted of the sweets of married life, and his
description was vivid, as he declared, *' hi>
boots flew, his suspender buttons were jerked
off, his coat stripped, and he had a Crimea in
his head." Travelers were pointed to the
location of the depots on this proposed line,
at Calmar and West Union. Xew Hampton
and Fredericksburg, Bradford and Charles
City, Chickasaw and Jacksonville, and so on
along the whole line. In time this company
became insolvent and sold out to the Mc-
Gregor and Sioux City company.
13

101 IIISTOKICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

- The second term of court held in Xew
Hampton, was held in the second stoi\v of
the old school house, which stood one block
south of the Opera House. Judge ^Murdock,
who was then District Judge, rode to the
county on a spotted pony. At the hotel, the
Judge amplilied upon the speed of his pony,
and some of the boys thought that they
would test the speed of the pony and not let
the owner know that they had had him out.
Just about the time they had the pony ready
for the rac(^ the Judge was listening to an
argument being made on a w'rit of error, by
J. 0. Crosb}. Crosby had reached his third
point in his argument, and had extended his
right arm upward to its full length, and was
pointing with his index finger, and was say-
ing, " JNow your Honor, in the third place,"
just then the Judge happened to look out of
the window, and seeing the boys about to
start his pony in the race, yelled out. "Mr.
Sheriff, adjourn court for five minutes," and
rushed to the platform at the head of the
outside stairs, where he could have a good
view of the race. When the race was com-
pleted, the Judge ordered the Sheriff to open
court, remarking, *'The little cuss got beat,"
It was at this term that I had my first

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 195

crimiiuil suit, (lefeiidiiig M. C. Roby for iiu
action of assault and battery. I succeeded
better lb an in my first civil case, for I
secured liis acijuital, but I never was quite
sure that tbe acquital was as fully in accord
with justice as was my first civil case where
I was beaten.

There was a coterie of Yankee settlers on
the east side of Stapleton township, who had
been raised under circumstances and with
surroundings that left an impression upon
them that they were better adapted to serve
as county officers, than to open up farms as
pioneers, and in order to accomplish this,
they bepran to toy vvith the south part of the
count}^ which had been in control of the
county offices. It was soon found that they
could no longer be relied upon to co-operate
with their former co-workers, but the south
was becoming relatively weaker, by reason
of the increasinor immiijration into the north
partofthe county, encouraged this break, and
in the fall of 1S5S, attempted to extend it, by
nominating Pat Gali.tran for Sheriff. The
north nominated Pat Tierney, of Utica, for
his competitor. While Pat Galigan did not
strengthen the southern ticket, he wa<
elected over his opponent, by ten votes. This

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196 HISTORICAL AND REMINI SCENCES OP

^vas a result that has often been repeated in
county election?, for he was afiiliated to
" Irish Ridge," and whoever gets hold of that
string, pulls a full lino of votes running
through Stapleton and on up to Howard
county. The newly elected Sheriff did not do
much of the business himself, but appointed
a southern man his deputy, who did most
of the business. Pat wore the honors with
dignity, introducing the Sheriffs Cockade,
for the first time in the histoiy of the
county. The south found that they had
reckoned without their host, when they de-
manded services that would tell against his
former associates, and he remained faithful
to his former allegiance, and the little coterie
that hoped to gain so much by his election,
never reaped the reward they had planned.
At the division of Obispo township, in 1S53,
Hugh Johnston was appointed organizing
constable, of the east half, thus forming a
new township by the name of Ltica, and not
understanding the forms of procedure,
requested me to bring over the papers aud
assist him, w^hich I promised to do, I was
detained in my office, and it was between
nine and ten o'clock in the evening before I
Could get away. I then started on foot for

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 197

the place of holding the election, fourteen
miles distant, "\^'llen near Plumb Creek, I
found that mj" short cut through the hazel
brush had nearly exhausted me, and I laid
down and unfolding my shawl and spreading
it over me, was soon fast asleep. I must
have slept some time, for when I awoke, the
snow was two inches deep over me, and I
found that I was cold and stiff and could
hardly walk, and I was hardly warm when
I reached Jacksonville, about four o'clock in
the moriiing. xVfcer cjetting some coffee, the
walk was resumed to Johnston's, where I
arrived in time to open the polls.

Speaking of cold, in those days, after I was
able to own a horse, I always took the pre-
caution to take candles and matches, so that,
if overtaken b}' a blizzard and forced to
camp out, I could turn my sleigh over and
keep from freezing by burning the candles
under the sleigh. Subsequently I made the
discovery that by takinjj^ my dog into the
sleigh and covering him with the robe, his
breath and body would soon warm me, and
by this means I have been saved much suf-
fering. The pi-ecaution was always taken to
take along paper and pencil and handker-
chiefs, so that if a storm forced the releasing

19S HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OP

of the horse, to be able to tie u message to
the horse, telling where I could be tbimd^
ti]U8 having it act as a guide to a rescuing
party.

Soon after A. J. Felt was elected Justice
of the Peace for Bradford township, there
was a suit brought before him that tested
his fealt}' to one of the cardinal principles
of his part}'. Ho was at this time, an ardent
democrat, and a strong defendej- of the Dred
Scott decisioD. which had just been handed
down, in which the court declared that "' a
negro had no rights that a white man was
bound to respect," and was ever ready with
an argument, claiming that the principle was
right. A negro living in Bradford had his
watch stolen, and a suit of replevin was
brought before Felt, by the negro, claiming
possession of the watch, but the defendant
declared he had bought it and would not
give it up. On the trial, D. A. Babcock
appeared for the defense, and moved to
dismiss the case, on the ground that the
plaintiff was a negro, and that the Supreme
Court of the United States had decided that
he had no rights that;i white maa Wcis bound
to respect. This was a home thrust, but the
court was equal to the occasion, and turning

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 199

to the tittorne\-, said, " Look here Dave, that
may be good politics, but Dred Scott decision
or no Dred Scott decision, this nigger is
going to have his watch." AVheroupon, Dave
said, " I don't see the use of proceeding
further, for this case is decided, so you can
give the nigger the watch.''

One-half mile north of the center of the
county, at Xew Hampton, being just north
of where the M. & St. Paul depot now is, J.
D. Colt had built a log house, he having
entered the land and received a duplicate
from the United States, for the same. After
his house was built, it was found that there
was a previous entry upon this land and
Colt found tliat he had no right to the
■premises. The Government allowed him to
change his entry to an eighty cornering
this on the northwest. He subsequently
bought the corner where his house stood.
Just north of Colt's was the log house of
William Haslam. These were the only
houses in that direction until we reached
the houses of John S. Marr and Tilden S.
Rice who lived on land adjoining what is
now Devon. Northeast one mile, was Jesse
T. Hays, and just beyond was the old "Brink
House,-' on the banks of the Wapsie. East

vf,

200 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

of this about a. luile, was John and Jacob
Vanaukeu and R. 11. Coe, and north of this
settlement was the log house of I. P.Hartley,
being the only one until near Jacksonville.
One mile east was the log house of Denizen
Calkins, and further east on the banks of
the Wapsie. lived '-Wapsie'' Gardner, with
his eleven children. Xo other settlement
in that direction, for six miles. The only
houses south for six miles were those of
John Johnson and AVesley Swayzee who
lived three miles south. West one mile and
a half was the home of Don A. Jackson, and
one-half south of him was Zalmuna Morton.
One mile west of Jacksons was William S.
Morley who had been elected Justice of the
Peace and figured as a democratic politician,
and long after that party v>'as organized gave
himself credentials as a representative from
that township and was an aspirant for legis-
lative honors, but was beaten in the nomin-
ating convention by C. W. Mitchell uf Utica.
D. A. Jackson was the first and only Coi/nt-y
Assessor, and in assessing the county, only
made one mistake in the desci'iption of real
estate, in the whole count}', and in this,
shingled a part of one forty and left an equal
amount unassessed. This was a remarkable

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CHICKASAW COrXTi", IOWA. 201

record, prol>ubh' not cqualeil iu the state
While there was not much of the Pyrotccnic
in his nature, there was a persistent working
that accomplished more than many ihat
appeared to do much more. My familiarity
with his assessment was through tlie making
of the tax books from his work. As a hunter,
he was only exceeded by oue man in the
county, William Everiugham. of Utica.

On section twenty-six. Dayton township,
lived Levi Young. AVhen I first saw him he
was trying to make a living b}" farming, but
as he had been a printer he did not make a
brilliant success. He bought out the old
office of the Clnclasaw Count!/ Bepuhlican,
and in company with W. E. Beach started
the Xew IlarKfiion Courier. When Beach
leased his interest to J. A. Sawin, he con-
tinued to be a partner, and when Sawin sold
out to G. ^I. Beynolds he still continued to
be a partner, but subse([uently sold his inter-
est to Keyjiolds. He was a man of a little
less than medium height, and when setting
type his body always vibrated towards the
case at the pickiug up of each type. Several
times has he allowed his name to appear as
a candidate for office when he knew that
defeat was certain, so intense was his Repub-

202 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

licanisiii that he was willing to be tliiis
sacrificed for the ^ood of bis part}'. Living
a little sout'h of him was E. 11. CTillett, wlio
was the first Representative from Chickasaw
County. He was a New Hampton man in
the count}'' seat fight, and through his efforts
a legislative committee was appointed to
locate the county seat, and probably had an
idea as to what the re.-ults were to be before
he named the committee. He did not remain
in the county but a short time, and on the
breaking out of the rebellion he entered the
service of the government, and I met him at
Memphis during the war.

Ezra Hewitt lived on the northwest quar-
ter of section one, and Benoni Cotant, J. B.
Cotant and Charles Cotant lived on section
three, township ninety-five, range thirteen.
In the summer of ISjS Samuel Cotant built
a small building upon the ground now occu-
pied by the First Xationai Bank, for a store.
The frame was blown down twice while he
was building it. He started tlie second store
in New Hampton. Gurley hadbrouirht hisold
partnership sign from Hartford, Conn., but
had not cut otf his partner's name, and there
was no sign in town except my law sign. I
proceeded to paint a si;?n for Cotant. The

it'

exol

CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 203

board was prepareil aiul a coat of white put
on, but there was uo brush with which to
paint the letters. Going to Gui-ley's hog
pen, I pulled enough bristles out of his hogs'
backs to fill a goose quill, and drawing them
into the quill thus improvised a brush, with
which I painted the first business sign erected
in Xew Hampton. It only contained the
name "S. COTANT,"' and the letters were
heavy block letters. We did not aspire to
flourishes.

McCuUow came to Xew Hampton in 1S59
and formed a co-partnership with Cotant,
and for many years the firm of "Cotant &
McCullow"' did business in the town. They
both served as postmasters during the time
of their co-partnership. Gurley cut off the
partnership part of his imported sign, and
thus presented the first gold-leaf sign erected
in the county.

About this time gold was discovered in
the ravine south of town, and there was a
general rush with milk pans to pan out the
precious metal. Everyone could get "' color,''
but it proved to be so thin scale gold that it
could not be made profitable. After it was
found to worthless for mining, someone put
in a quantity of brass filings and wonderful

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204 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OP

results were shown outsiders uho came to
see the new .^'old mine.

During the count\- seat disturbance prac-
tical jokes were not uncommon and turned
up at the most unexpected times. As arrests
were common, no one know but what lie
"would be the next man in limbo. At a
meeting of the northern men at New Hamp-
ton, to discuss the county seat matters, a
large number were present form Chickasaw,
and among the number was Fox. After
talking over the arrests that had been made
and the probability of the next arrest, it was
hinted that the probability >vas that Fox
would be the next victim, from what had
been dropped by the Forest City side. About
this time. Wm. Tucker and "Bro." Whit-
more disappeared from the meeting, and
Whitmore went to the house of David
Edwards and disguised himself, and when
disguised, went out and secreted himself on
the prairie. In a few minutes Tucker
rushed into the room where the meeting was
held, and claimed to have seen the Sheriff
sneaking up behind a rock on the prairie.
Fox at once rushed out to see what there
was of truth in the report- Just as he passed
around the corner of the house, ^yhitmore

CUICKA.SAW COUNTY, IOWA. 205

raised bis head in sight. This was euough
to coufinii the repoi-t. and the credulous Fox
rushed back into the house, and pulling off
his boots, started for Chickasaw^ As he
looked back, he could see the supposed Sher-
iff running around the house, as if in search
for him. This accelerated his movements,
and much excited, he run all the w^ay to
Chickasaw, starting in his stocking feet and
reaching there barefooted, having worn out
his stockings in his flight.

At the fall election of 1S5S J. 0. Case was
nominated by the northern party for Clerk,
and T. G. Staples for the south. E. H.
Williams had been nominated for District
Judoe, and Wm. McClintock as the Demo-
cratic candidate. Milo McGlathery was the
Eepublican candidate for District Attorney,
and Elijah Odell was nominated by the
Democrats. Things looked a little dark for
Williams, and as I had opposed him very
bitterly in the convention he was uneasy as
to what I was doing during the campaign.
Williams and McG lathery came to New-
Hampton to see me, and it was agreed that
all my efforts w^ere to be given to save
Williams, and that I w^as at perfect liberty
to trade or sacrifice McGlathery to help him,

206 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

^IcGlatbery saying that he was so secure
that nothing our county could do could hurt
him. I immediately went into the south
part of tlie county and talked fealty to the
party, and a da}" or two before election I
raised the cry in the north part of the county
that McClintock and McGhxthery were the
attorneys for the south and that it would
never do to elect them, and we had a north-
ern ticket with Williams and Odell, and went
it solid. It elected Williams and came very
near defeating McGlathery. I always had
the feeling that it left a sore spot with
McGlather3\

On election day I went to Utica after
voting, and when the count was made found
that that the whole vote was for the north,
with the exception of Pat Tierney and his
hired man's. A company of twelve had gone
to Stapleton to look after Case's interests, as
Staples, the opponent, was a resident and old
settler of that town. When they got there
they found that the Staples and McClintock
iutei-est had eight gallons of whiskey, and
the Xew Hampton crowd only had two.
After holding a council it was agreed that
all hands would pitch in and drink up the
eight gallons, and not let them know that

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CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 207

they had any in reserve. Those that had tlie
whiskey in charge were willing to furnish
all the New Hampton folks wanted, hoping
to get them drunk, and then they would run
the election to suit themselves. Headed
by Dan Shook, they drank as freely as
though it was water, and would then go
out behind the house and vomit it up. By
ten o'clock the whiskey was gone and a
part of the Xew Hampton contingent were
laid out. Now came the other whiskey and
it was husbanded with much care, and no
one was allowed a drink who did not vote
the northern ticket. Duj-ing the day it was
found that there was much antagonism
against Powers, and to make ail the capital
they could for the occasion the New Hamp-
ton men pitched into him in a terrific manner,
although he was working in Utica for the
same side. I rode down from Utica full of
victory, as all but tv.'o had voted as I desired,
and as I rode up to the polling place in
Stapleton, expecting to receive a warm wel-
come from my friends, I found myself sur-
rounded by a belligerent and vindictive foe,
and not a New Hampton man dared to say
a word for me or come to my aid. Sticks,
clubs and clods were brandished and the

20S niSTOKiCAL a:>d i:eminiscences of

vilest charges miule, and threats that were
flying about portended anything but peace.
John Nicholas seized my horse by the l)ridle
and commenced kicking it in the side and it
soon cleared quite a circle around me, and he
spoke to me and said, "jump on for your
life." and I spang upon iny horse, and
Nicholas let go and gave my horse a slap
and I was soon out of reach of the stones
and sticks that followed me. It was new to
me then, but I have been misrepresented so
often, since, that some one might be
advanced, that I have ceased to notice it,
and have learned to pity the small man that
tries to ride into public favor b.y misrepre-
sentation and calumny. C 0- Case was
elected and for years made an efficient
officer, until a spirit of conviviality measur-
ably weakened his executive ability. It was
not generally understood, but his wife was
the main stay of the office for the last few
years, and she became his deput}' so as to be
able to look after the business. After Case
had qualitied on his first election he went to
Forest City to take charge of the office and
remove the same to New Hampton, the court
having enjoined the county officers from
holding their offices at Forest City, or else-

&9fit

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 209

where in the count}- except at New Hampton.
As the law required that he appoint a
deputy, he appointed me, but the County
Judge had to approve the appointment, and
Judge BailG.y refused to endorse my appoint-
ment. A. E. Bigelow was then appointed
and T pointed out the property that belonged
to the clerk's otTice and it was promptly
removed to New Hampton.

During the summer it rained almost con-
tinuously, and the little streams looked like
rivers. W. E, Ueach, Mrs. Nehemiah Vaughn,
Miss Johnston and myself desired to go from
New Hampton to Jacksonville, and we took
passage in a lumber wagon drawn by a yoke
of oxen. When we reached Plumb Creek
we found that the banks were overflown and
it looked like a river. It was thought prac-
ticable to ford, and we started in, but when
the forward wheels of the wagon dropped
into the channel of the stream the chain
came loose that attached the oxen to the
wagon, and we were left stranded. It was
ti]ought that by unloading, and by hitching
the chain to the end of the tongue, the
wagon might be drawn out. It was sug-
gested that the men each take a woman and
carry her ashore- Mr. Beach being a

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^nhi

210 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

.married maii and I single, it was sii-;?ested
by bim tbat be would carry tbe married
woman and I tbe youn- lady. At first tbis
struck me favorably, but wben I came to see
that tbe married woman weigbed about
eigbty-five pounds, and tbe girl about one
hundred and ninety pounds, I had some
doubts of bis disinterestedness. Beach took
up bis burden and deposited her safely on
the shore. Boldly meeting the responsibility
that was soon to rest upon me, I encircled
my one hundred and ninety pounds, and she
trustmijly put her arms around mv neck
and I started. xVlas, how soon were my
hopes to b3 dampened, for stepping upon a
bog, I shpped, and Hiis changing the center
of gravity and removing it outside of the
base, I fell and my burden upon me. My '
embrace was broken, her arms were un-
clasped, and the cold waters flowed between
us, as we singly waded to the shore. I couid
not help but moralize, as 1 recalled the
prayer of disappointment that flowed from
a prominent character in a romance that was
then fre.h in memory, wben she prayed that
' the water:, of oblivion might flow between
them," how different it would have been
had It been tbe wateiv of Plumb Creek

CrilCKASAU' COUNTY, IOWA. 211

This recalls another incident that took
place on Main street in Forest City. A load
of ns had been out to spend the evening, and
on our return the horses sloughed down and
could not be induced to get out. There was
nothing to do but to unload, and it fell to
in}- lot to take ]\riss S., who weighed about
one hundred and fift}- pounds. T had on
rubber boots, and when unweighted could
keep them on and pull them out of the mud.
When I had taken the young lady as an
additional weight, T found that no effort of
mine could give a rising influence to my
rubber boots, but that, like one who is near
closing a life of dissipation, 1 found myself
going down, down, down, until the number
six shoes that encased my burdens feet were
fast shovdng like symptoms, and I felt con-
strained to yield up, not the ghost, but my
burden, and give her an opportunity to sink
or swim, survive or perish, as best she might,
and by the appearance of her apparel the
)iext morning I was led to conclude that she
had to swim.

After the election of 1S5S, at which time
the question of the removal of the county
seat from Xew Ham])ton to Forest City had
been voted upon, there were a large number

212 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

of arrests, each side swearing out warrants
a,i,'ainst parties of the other side. One was
sworn out against "William Tucker, and he
was taken to Nashua for trial. It was
agreed by Tucker and his lawyer that no
defense should be made, as he was not
charged with any crime under the Code of
Iowa. When the time lor trial arrived
Tucker and his counsel remained passive.
This was unexpected and left the prosecu-
tion in a dilemma. The defendant was
bound over to attend the next term of the
District Court to abide the action of the
CTrand Jury, and bail fixed at one hundred
dollars. Tucker refused to give bail and
demanded that he be either sent to jail or
that he be released. This was an unexpected
move, as there had been no intention of
sending him to jail. They offered to fur-
nish the bond but Tucker would not accept
it. He was finally sent to jail to Waverly.
He remained about tvro weeks, having a
good time around town, and demanding a
change of linen at the end of the first week,
which was furnished by the Sheriff of
Bremer County and paid for by Chickasaw
Count}". The parties that had caused his
imprisonment became uneasy, and the Jus-

•jc

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 213

tice of the Peace, having found that he had
made a mistake in committing him for an
unknown crime, sent dov\"n and recalled the
mittimus, and Tucker c%ame home and had
a good laugh at the other side. While they
were after Tucker the other side were not idle.
An information was filed and warrant issued
for the arrest of Judge Bailey, and placed in
the hands of the Constable. Taking about
twenty with him he went to Forest Citj^ and
found the Judge in the count}" ofnce, which
was then in the second story of the back
wing of Grant's house. The officer made
known his business, but the Judge did not
propose to go unless forced to. S. S. Aius-
worth, of West Union, coming about this
time, he was consulted by the friends of the
Judge. On learning the facts he expressed
the opinion that the only thing to do was to
go and stand trial, and if he did not get clear
to appeal. He intimated that as the Judge
was a party he could not issue a writ of
habeas corpus for himself, and that there wa?;
no officer competent to issue the writ in the
county. Geo. W. Reed, who was Clerk, said
that in the absence of the Judge he was
ex-officio Judge, and that the Judge being
under arrest was absent, under his construe-

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SJBV!?

214 HISTORICAL AND REMIM5CENCES OF

tioii of the Iciw, and lie would issue the writ,
Ainsworth said that if they had nerve enough
to do that he would make out the papers.
In the meantime the Constable had taken
possession of the Judge, he resisting just
enough to require force. The Constable and
another man took him hy the arms and pulled
him out of the door, and then several helped
to put him into a wagon to which a yoke of
oxen were attached. The crowd started with
their prisoner, and in a few minutes the
writ of JiaJxas- corpus was ready and placed
in the hands of a bystander and the erowd
started to overtake those in charge of the
Judge. As they started out D. A. Babcock
and myself started, but thinking that discre-
tion was the better part of valor, I suggested
that we remain behind and wait their return.
They overtook the constable in front of
Judge Bailey's house, and what followed has
facetiously been called the *' Battle of Bailey's
Land." As soon as the advancing party had
overtaken the Judge and his escort, they
demanded the release of tiie Judge. The
officer refused to surrender him and a gen-
eral scrimmage began, and there was a gen-
eral intermixing of parties. Soon it was
seen that individuals were pairing off and

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 215

paying special attentiou to each other.
/ luong tlie more notable were Frank Bos-
A irtL, brotlier of Fred Bosworth, and Dan
bnook. Each had taken several falls, when
Yager dealt a telling blow from the back
side, and Shook fell like a log. Just at this
instant William Haslam, who had his pipe
in his mouth and continued to smoke com-
placently, gave Yager a blow and then
turned his attention to Bosworth, whom
he felled several times. As Shook came
to his feet he found himself confronted b}^
Yager, and then for a few minutes there
was a joining of two heavy weight Ger-
mans, and the contest would have passed as
first class in any prize ring. In the fracas
Yager got Shook's finger in his mouth, and
he soon showed he had vigorous jaws. In
the meantime Shook was taking in the sit-
uation, although Yager had taken in a part
of him, and turning his finger in Yager's
mouth, and while his teeth were cutting to
the bone, inserted his thumb into Yager's
eye, and then the native German expression
escaped from him as he yelled, ''Yah," and
as his mouth flew open, Shook gave him a
knock down. During this time Runion,
armed with a hickory club, was playing

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216 HISTORICAL A^■D REMINISCENCES OF

round outside luttiiiii: a head whenever he
safely could. Among the active partici-
pants probably Haslam knocked down the
most men, and received the least personal
injur}-. He was an old boxing master and
went in smoking his pipe and came out
with it in his mouth. At the close of the
fight F. D. Bosworth was on the fence giv-
ing very encouraging words that some
might call profane. Shook and Frank Bos-
worth were the only ones who were laid up
for more than a day or two. It is probably
the only instance on record where force
was used in the service of a writ of habeas
corpus. If all had been present who claim
to have been, then there would have been
quite an army. This is probably not the
first instance where heroes have sprung up
after the battle-

After" this warrants were issued against
twenty-four northern men for resisting a
writ of hahcas corjnis, the writs being issued
by X. 'D. Smith, a Justice of the Peace at
Forest City.

The warrants were placed in the hands of
John Dixon, sheriff. He immediately pro-
ceeded to search for the accused, and coming
to Xew Hampton, found all present, as they

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JHICKASAVv' COUNTY, IOWA. 217

were holding a meeting in the ohJ log school
house. He told them his Ijusiness and they
all took it in good part, and were soon deeply
in conversation with the Sheriil. One after
another slipped out and to the sheriff's sur-
prise he found that hut one was left. It
was very easy for one to secrete himself, for
within a few rods of the house the grass
would hide an ox. When the Sheriff took in
the situation he was very angry and made
strong threats. His ire was especially
directed against Runion, He immediately
started for Runion's house, and found Mrs.
Runion in possession. He then proceeded
to question Mrs. Runion as to the where-
abouts of her husband, and received the
prompt reply that it was none of his busi-
ness.* He then informed her that he should
be under the necessity of searching the house
for him, and immediately commenced the
search. After climbing the outside stairs of
the old log house and searching in all pos-
sible and impossible places where a man
could hide, he commenced the search below.
Words of imprecation fell upon his head
from the keeper of the home castle as the
search went on, and after looking under the
bed and elsevrhere without success, ho spied

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21S niSTOKICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

a riug in a trap door that led iuto an impro-
vised cellar under the tloor, and stooped to
raise the trap door. At this Mrs. JRunion
sprang upon the door and told him he could not
go down there. The SheritTinsisted he would,
and pu:>hed her off. Xot to be foiled, ]\[rs.
liunion reached under the bed and secured
a weapon not used in ordiuar}^ warfare, and
raising it aloft, threatened to submerge him
if he attempted. The Sheriff retreated and
left the woman in possession. It has never
been quite safe to call this episode to the
attention of the Sheriff. The next day, with
a suitable posse, the Sheriff started for the
same parties, but when a little way out he
met the eiitire party on the road to surren-
der themselves. They made no defense and
were all bound over to bide the action of the
grand jury at the next session of the District
Court. At the next term of court they were
all OR hand, and when the papers were
handed to Judge Murdoch he took them, and
on looking them over said, svtto voce, ''Resist-
ing a writ of habeas corpus; what in the devil
is that?'' and then turning to the parties,
said, "ifo; you have no business here." Thus
ended another action.
I recall a little episode that transpired

If:
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ii-

CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 219

during the trial of Tucker, at Nashua. As
we were there two days, when the first night
came I was put in bed with Tucker. During
the night there was a strange sound under
the bed, and asking Tucker what it was, he
said it sounded like a badger. He reached
under the bed and pulled out a young
badger, saying, "Adversity makes strange
bedfellows." It proved to be a tame badger
that had escaped.

Soon after Judge Bailej'' was released under
the hdhcas corpus proceedings a warrant was
issued in Chickasaw for the arrest of the
Judge, and placed in the hands of A. E. Bige-
low for service. Taking with him one Finch,
they went to the Judge's house early in the
morning, before he was up, and took him
away before he could rally his forces. When
he arrived in Chickasaw he met a noisy
crowd, and their remarks were more forcible
than assuring. A change of venue was taken,
and the Judge eventually released. In fact,
there never was much of an idea of holding
him, but they wanted to show that he could
be arrested and taken away.

At the special session of court to try the
county seat question, Forest City had as her
lav/yers, L. L. Ainsworth, Milo McGlathery,

220 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

Wm. McCiintock and A. G. Case. Xew
HamptoQ had \Vm. B. Allison, Win. J.
Barney, Wm. B. Fairfield, AVm. Munsou and
J. 0. Crosby. All the New Hampton law-
yers boarded at Hiram Bailey's, and on the
second night after court convened, a son was
born to Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, and it was pre-
sented the next morning from behind the
hanging sheet that separated the bed-room
from the sitting-soom. it was declared that
in honor of the occasion, and the number of
"Williams present, the child should be named
William.

We little thought at that time that we
were suggesting as namesakes a District
Judge and a United States Senator. The
parents declined to adopt the name sug-
gested.

Fairfield was not at this time a prohibi-
tionist, and he had brought a two gallon jug
of whiskey for use during court. On the sec-
ond morning, the hired girl, while doing the
chamber work, found the jug, and she
dropped it into the cellar, which was with-
out stairs, and about half full of water.
When they came for dinner the jug was
missing, and a search instituted for its recov-
ery. It was round floating in the water in

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 221

the cellar, but beyoiul reach, and it wa?
decided that the three Williams should let
Fairfield down and hold him while he
secured the jug. He was accordin<:^ly let
down, and just as he announced he had it,
the hired girl put in an appearance, and
giving the holders a push, the}' dropped their
man to save themselves. The whisk}' was
passed up and the lower man took a good
drink so as not to take cold.

It was a very wet season, and there was
scarcely a place in the town where a horse
would not mire. The stage mired down
with four horses, rii^ht in the middle of
Main street, and it took a team of six yoke
of oxen to draw it out. The stage at this
time was driven by "Sandy," and few knew
but that this was his real name, but we now
know him as one of our respected, pros-
perous and honored citizens, by the name of
Honeywell.

Many were the jokes that were passed
with reference to the depth of the mud.
Judge Murdock declared that just after he
passed Fredericksburg the little frogs sung
out in high treble, "knee deep/' but as he
approached Forest City the bull frogs in deep
bass sung, "no bottom."

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2?2 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCE?; OF

During the trial, n, large number of the
novtheni men camped in the school house.
One moruing one of the cows was found on
its back, ikstened in that position, and when
discovered by the woman who went out to
miliv she expressed dissatisfaction, but \vas
informed by the northerii uien that they
always did that way in Forest City, for in no
other way could they get at her to milk, as
the mud was so deep.

There was to be a convention to nominate
a successor to Judge Murdock, and there w^as
a feeling that it would not be detrimental to
the interests of New Hampton if the dele-
gates to be elected were in favor of Xew
Hampton, and also supporters of the incum-
bent. The county convention was called as
a republican mass convention to meet at
Forest City, Monday evening the day before
the convening of court. This was satisfac-
tory to the south, as it was sujiposed that
the north would not put in an appearance
until the first day of court. The central
committee consisted of G. W. Howard, F. D.
Bosworth and J. H. Powers. At the hour of
convening the convention Howard and Bos-
worth were on hand together with about a
■dozen southern men to go to the school

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CUrCKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 223

bouft'e fo elect delegates- As yet no noilh-
en I man had been seen. On reaching the
school house all was dark and still, but on
striking a match it was found packed with
northern men. Howard was chosen chair-
man and a fall set of delegates were elected.
The next day there was another convention
called and another set of delegates elected.
The northern men refused to enter this sec-
ond Convention, and the contesting Conven-
tion delegates had a poor show, as the first
'Convention had the notice called by the
entire Central Committee, and their cre-
dentials were signed b}' a majority of them,
one as Chairman and one as Secretary of
the Convention. They supported Murdock
at the District Convention, but E. H. Wil-
liams was nominated over him b}' one-quar-
ter of a vote.

Probably no team traversed the ground
between Forest City and Xew Hampton
during the summer of 1S5S without being
sloughed down, and a set of ropes were kept
at New Hampton with which to draw out
teams mired down in trying to reach that
place. It became so bad on the stage road
between Bradford and Fredericksburg that
A. Y. Allen built a big fiat scow large enough

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224 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

to take the stage, auJ bitching on eight
yoke of oxen —this being his breaking team —
took it ove>' from his place to Tiugley's. I
have seen the whole four stage horses mired
down on main street in Forest Cit}^ I have
also seen teams mired down on main street
in New Hampton. The present citizen of
the county has but little comprehension of
the condition of the country in 1S5S.

During this season hay could be bought
at one dollar per ton, delivered and stacked,
but corn was one dollar per bushel, and
interest forty per cent.

When the decision came to hand on the
county seat question, and an intimation, that
a remedy was injunction, the question was,
how can one be obtained, and after holding
a meeting of the friends of New Hampton,
it was decided that I should go to Garnavillo,
Clayton county, Judge ^^lurdock living there,
and got a temporary injunction, and J. D.
Colt agreed to furnish a horse and I was to
go horseback. I took the trip and secured
an injunction, and found myself involved in
a case of attachment, for while there I
became acquainted with a young lady who
was on a visit from Massachusets, and I judge
there was a final settlement of the case, for
I married her that fall.

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CHICKASAW C0UN:TT, IOWA. 22y

There was a growing feeling that there
was too much power vested iu the County
Judge, and an agitation against his being
continued as " county king,"' and holding the
power to levey and disburse taxes, entered
into the platforms of all parties. At the fall
election the question of striking the word
''white" out of the constitution, was sub-
mitted as a distinct proposition, this being
the time of voting on the new constitution,
and there were three votes cast iu New
Hampton in the affirmative. One was cast by
Eev. Charles HoUis, one by myself, and the
third by John Mays, he making a mistake by
handing the wrong ballot to the judges and
not finding it out until too late to recall. I
followed the county seat, after the records
were forcibly taken from New Hampton,
being deputy clerk at that time- The Clerk's
and Recorder and Treasurers office would
have expired in the spring but the abolishing
of spring elections prolonged their terms of
office six months, and thus they conformed
to the new constitution. As I was appointed
as deputy for one year, my time expired
before the tei'm of office, as extended, expired,
and Frank Bosworth was appointed to the
place. As I had invoked the ire of the south
15

J-b HISTORICAL AND KK.MIXISCENCES 0?

because I refused to approre of their county
seat steal, I couM expect no favors at their
hands. The bitterness was intense, and when
the new deputy came into office there was a
general overhauling of the lyooks, to rind
mistakes. I had been to Bradford, and on
my return was taken to task for over fifty
mistakes they had already found in the tax
books. I requested to have them pointed
out, and found that they had scratched the
books so as to have the defects stand out
prominent, and in every case the mistake
w^as fifty cents too much in the final sum.
I then complacently pointed out the statute
that required the addition of a county poll
tax of fifty cents on each resident. When
they came to the court records they made
the startling discovery that the record was
not complete, ar.d the new deputy was put
to work making a complete record of every
case, and among the first was the long one
of the count}' seat case. AVhen complete, I
was again raked over the coals, by Reed, for
thus causing him extra expense in hiring it
done, and threatened with a suit to recover
this extra cost. I then meekly called his
attention to the fact that a complete record
was only required in equity cases, and that

31 JO b

CHICKASAV.- COUNTY, IOWA. 227

every equit}^ case bad a complete record, as
the law required. This kindness did not
allay any of the feeling against me, although
I had kindlj" pointed out the law that gov-
erned. In fact, I never found any apprecia-
tion of my kindness in thus aiding them
wdien they had made mistakes.

There was to be a State Senator to be
elected in the fall of 1S59, and desiring to be
a candidate, 1 looked after my interests,
before the count}' convention, and secured a
majority of the delegates.

Among the apposition delegates, was
Hiram Bailey, who, as the representative of
the south, opposed instructions to delegates
to give their support to me in the District
Convention, and he protested vehemently
against the same, and said he would support
any other man in the county.

The convention was firm and the instruc-
tions were adopted. D. A. Babcock and F.
D. Bosworth were put on the delegation, and
when they came to the District Convention,
after casting an informal ballot, under their
instruction?, they deserted, and used every
power in their means to defeat me.

On my nomination there was a settled
purpose to either drive me from tbe field or

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228 HISTORICAL AND RE.MINISCENXES OF

defeat me at the polls. At the meeting of
the District Court, there was a conspiraoy to
have me iDiiicted and bring in the indict-
ment after the petit jury had been dis-
charged, and thus prevent a trial and then
let the indictment hang over me, tlius
expecting to force me from the field. One
of the witnesses gave me a hint of what was
up, and the judge was informed of what was
being done.

Ke was informed that in case of an indict-
ment a trial t\as wanted at once, and it was
promised. The south had the feheriCf in
their interest and a Grand Jury had been
fixed for the occasion, and being aided by
the District Attorney, the programme was
carried out, and as soon as the Petit Jury
had been discharged and had started for
home the indictment was brought in. As
soon as the indictment was in court the
Judge asked that it be passed up for inspec-
tion, and turning to me said that I had been
indicted. A trial was demanded, and the
Judge ordered the Sheriff to empanel a
Jury. To this objection was made, and a
demand for the regular panel. The court
then ordered the Sheriff to have the regular
panel there by 9 o'clock the next morning,

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 229

or he would be removed and an officer
appointed to do his work- They were all
on hand the next morning. One of the
jurors had starte-d tor home on foot and was
within a quarter of a mile of home when
the officer overtook hini. and without goiu^j
home, he turned and walked liack the
eighteen miles during the night. When the
opposition saw how things were moving, the
District Attorney wanted to nolle prosse the
indictment, but under objection the court
refused to allow it. and ordered the trial to
proceed at once. Jno. T. Clark, J. 0. Crosby,
"Wm . B. Fairfield and several others volun-
teered to defend me, and on submission to
the jury they returned a verdict of not
guilty without leaving the jury box.

The fight against me did not abate, and A.
G. Case, instigated by Hiram Baile}^, pre-
pared a bitter attack upon me, and sent the
same to the Xorth Joiva Ti}r^s, a paper pub-
lished at McGregor's Landing, and as I was
to be married to a young lady in that county
it was very tryinsr. The week following
there were communications in the same
paper from J. 0. Crosby, John T. Clark and
Wm. B. ]'airfield, and these were followed
by an apology from Colonel Ilichardson, who

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230 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

eciited the paper, and it failed to accomplish
what was intended, and my prospects in the
matrinioni;{] line were undisturbed. Moses
Conger of Flo5''d was nominated by the
Democrats as my competitor, and he was
noted as an orator, and much was expected
of him duriniz the campaign. I took much
pains in preparing a couple of speeches,
receiving aid and documents both from the
State and National Central Committees, and
Senator Harlan coming along stumping the
north part of the State, I rode with him
several days, and was put in training by
making short speeches, and receiving
instruction from him as we rode over the
prairie. Conger challenged me for a joint
debate, and without waiting for a reply,
issued bills for all the nine counties of the
district, making the first meeting at Brad-
ford, where the local feeling was very bitter
against me. As I was the challenged party,
I claimed the opening and closing the first
night, and it wa.s accorded me. I was loaded,
and I fired the best shot 1 had, and before
half my first hour had expired, cheers
greeted me long and loud. 1 had overcome
personal opposition and supplanted it with
loyalty to party, and the victory was won.

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CHICKASAVv' COUNTY. IOWA. 231

Conger came into the campaign without
any special preparation, rchiug upon the
inspiration of the moment, and when he
arose to speak he was hiboring under visible
embarrassment, and after using forty min-
utes of his hour and a half, he yielded the
floor. As we went to the hotel he took me
by the arm and said, ''I have caught a Tar-
tar, for they told me you were a d — d fool,
but I was the biggest d — d fool for not look-
ing you up myself, but I will go around and
show you off, just the same."'

We traveled together, he riding on a buck-
board, and I riding on a borrowed pony,
until the last of the campaign, when the
pony was required by its owner. He used
to tell me what exagerated statements he
would make at the next meeting, and we
would talk over the proofs necessary to show
the fact. When we arrived at Howard Cen-
ter the Democrats were holding a count}'
convention in the school house where we
were to speak, and refused to surrender the
same. Conger asked if there was a Repub-
lican present who would play a game of
euchre to see whether they should both vote
for him or both vote for me- The challenge
was accepted and the game commenced. In

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232 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

a little while Conger snug out, 'Towers, be
lias beateu me, and I will vote for you." He
voted for me. After speaking the night
before we reached Osage, I started out, and
when I found a good place, I staked out the
pony, and taking the saddle l)lanket, camped
for the night, thus saving the expense of
hotel bill, and as 1 did not reach Osage until
after breakfast, saved that also. My horse
was sent for this day, and I rode from Osage
to Floyd with Conger, and stayed all night
with him, he taking me to Charles City the
next morning, where the joint campaign
was to terminate. I had but fifteen cents
left, and at noon I bought five cents worth
of crackers and went down b}' the river to
eat th€m. After speaking in the evening, I
went out and bought ten cents worth of
crackers, and started on my twenty mile
walk for New Hampton. When I had trav-
eled ten miles, and reached Chickasaw, m}'
feet were painful and I pulled off my boots
and started on in my stocking feet. It was
too cold to stand it, and I took the docu-
ments that I had been using during the cam-
paign, and putting them in my stockings,
found bome relief. When I reached home,
just before daylight, there was a feeling that

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 2o3

campaigning was Imrd work. While I was
away the opposition were active, and a large
sheet was issued a.2:ainst me, headed *' The
Peoples' Champion," setting up the indict-
ment, etc., the printing being done clandes-
tinely, by crawling into the printing office
window without the knowledge of its owner.
The following; is the closing appeal to voters:
"J. H. POWERS, the Republican candidate
for Senator now stands before you charged
and indicted as a criminal for illegal voting.
for willful violation of that right, the hard
won and blood bought right of FREE SUF-
FRAGE, which is, and should be held dear
and sacred by every true friend to freedom.
Will you allow dishonest politicians to set
the thumb screws of party drill upon you,
and coerce you to support such a candidate,
for the sake of party or anything else, con-
trary to the dictates of your honest judg-
ment? Will you, fellow Republicans, with
the indisi^utable facts here given you. send a
man to represent you in the State Assemtdy,
who, if the law is allowed to take its course,
is a candidate for the State Penitentiary?"
My friends had not been idle and they had
issued an answer, heading it -"Champion*
Refuted," the closing paragraph was as fol-

li 5o x:

-:uj

xitiii'i;

234 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

lows: "AVethe uiKlersi^nied having seen a
secret circular headed "The Peoples' Cham-
pion," and signed '^Many Piepublicans,*'
hereby declare that said document received
its origin aniong Democrats, and that A. G.
Case, of Bradx'ord, is the real author, and
that it was published at the ' Cedar Valley
Newi' clandestinely in the nighttime and
on the Sabbath, without tlie knowledge of
the editor, and that the same is being and
has been circulated by :\Ioses Conger, as a
secret electioneering document, and that
subsequent events have shown that the in-
dictment was secured from personal feeling,
and for electioneering purposes, and that th°e
citizens of Chickasaw county look upon the
whole thing as a Democratic trick for polit-
ical effect." •' D. A. Babcock, G. W. Howard,
D. Campbell, \V. D. Pomroy, E. A. Haskell'
L. S. Thomas, Pt. C. Horton."

These were all citizens of Bradford, and
among m:y most bitter opponents when
nominated. :^Jy expenses for securing the
nomination were three dollars and fifty
cents, I paying the hotel bills of the Chicka-
saw county delegates at Charles City, where
the convention was held, and my election-
eering expenses in the district were eighteen

diidi b;

etii sai'io»98

iivjjLii^i.'j:n'j!-j jjiijcii.f

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 235

dollars and seveuty-live ceuts. As I now
look at it. as there wore nine counties in the
district, this outlay is not great evidence of
the subsidising of either the press or electors.
There were many enjoyable incidents dur-
in;^ the campaio-n. and I recall the appoint-
ment in Utica township. AVhen we arrived
there we found that no provision had been
made for a meeting, and we started for Pat
Tierney's to stay all night. On the road
there was much chafhng as to which should
secure his vote. Conger claimed that being
an Irishman he must be a Democrat, and
that Democrats always voted the straight
ticket and that insured him hi=>vote. We
were hospitably received, and when the
horses were cared for. Conger seized a pail
and went to milking a cow, saying sotto voce,
"don't you see I have got the vote?" When
supper was called, we found potatoes boiled
with their jackets on, salt, coffee and bread.
Taking the potato in my left hand with a
blow from the right I drove it through, and
the skinned potato fell upon my plate, and
I laid the skin to one side. As I did this,
Conger leaned back and laughing loudly
said, " He may vote for you, I can't come
that 'Paddv Trick'.'" There was a neighbor

r f

ban , ')jd

'i<"JU^iUU. i. r.L;Y/ a'i_

236 HISTORICAL AND REMINESCENCES OF

that had lost a child, and ^^ e were urged to
go to the wa]:e, but we declined, bub some-
time in the night we found that we had not
been forgotten, for a delegation pres;ented
themselves with a tin cup full of refresh-
ments.

Just after m}^ nomination there was a
Representative convention which met at
Bradford, and the district consisted of Chick-
asaw and Bremer counties. Bremer was en-
titled to six votes and when they arrived it
was found that three of them were for C.
Tarbox vSmead and three of them for John
Pattee. This left tlie choice with Chicka-
saw county, and on consultation it was de-
cided to leave the selection to me, as I was
running for the Senate and was most inter-
ested. It was conceded that it v/as to go to
Bremer county. I found that the principal
object of the delegates from Bremer county
was to defeat the other candidate.

I had met a younc^ man by the name of
Geo. W. Ruddick, and I suggested him and
he received the nomination, much to his sur-
prise. At the election there was a local
issue in his county, and not getting any of
the Wapsie vote he was far behind in hi.s
own county, but again this county came to

-J
.0

o
b

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 237

his relief aiul be was elected by a fair major-
ity. \A'. C. ->Iitcbel, of Utica township, was
his opponent. It is not often that a man is
nominated without his knowledge, and
elected after he has acknovrledp^ed his own
defeat at home. Subsequently, when an op-
portunity otiered, he failed to remember
past favors and pandered to "favors to
come," and has lived to taste the bitter
fruits of disappointment, for had he been
true to his friends, he undoubtedly would
have been elevated to the Supreme Court.

Between my nomination and election, I
was married. My bride was in Clayton
county and tnere being but one carriage in
the county, I was obliged to go to J. E.
Shepard's, sixteen miles, to get it, and I got
a span of horses of Crawford, of Jackson-
ville. As I brought my young bride into the
county on the third da}' of September, 1S59,
there had been a heavy frost and all the
vegetation had been killed, and the blackened
prairies showed that fire had been burning
the grass and the outlook was not very
cheering. Coming as my wife did from New
England, and used to the comforts of an
eastern home, the change was great, and if
she had not had a stout and loyal heart she

J 11

biij

ana jinori in

23S HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

\voulcl have succumbed to the sun-oundings.
A noble woman, a faithful and loving wife,
she has been a blessing to her family, and
has been the means of making me a better
man than it would otherwise have been possi-
ble for me to have been, and her influence
has always been on the side of right.

The winter of ISo'J-GO was fearfully cold,
and there was no way of reaching the Capi-
tal but by private conveyance. We started
from Xew Hampton on the last day of the
year, with the thermometer twenty-six
degrees below zero, and reached Waverly
the first night. Xew Years opened with the
thermometer marking forty degrees below
zero, and we only made Cedar Falls the next
night, arriving in the evening. On the 2d
of January we started, with the thermome-
ter twenty-six below, and passed out upon
the Grundy prairie, where we traveled all
day without seeing a habitation, until within
four miles of Steamboat Rock, when we came
to a sod house, and our load stopped to warm,
my wife claiming that she was no longer
cold, which symptoms alarmed us, as vre
knew that meant freezing. "When brought
to the fire we found our fears were well
founded, and that but a short time was

.'i_:t

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 239

necessary to have completed the work. The
other teams went on to Steamboat Rock,
aud when we arrived we found they had
baked up all the flour they had in the house
into warm biscuit. When we came to retire
iu a cold room, we found that one of the
cold sheets was a table-cloth. We shook
and shivered an hour or two before we could
go to sleep. As we had eaten them out
the night before, we had to go to Eldora
for Ijreakfast. We reached Xevada, ^tory
count}', that night, and should have reached
Des Moines the next day, if we had not taken
the wrong road, and at dark brought up at a
small house which they said was eleven
miles from Des Moines. Against the protest
of the owner we unloaded, there were
sixteen in the company, and taking his
oxen out of their straw barn, put the horses
in their place, and then made arrangements
for the night by taking down the bed so as
give us room to get in. Soon after, another
load came up and were taken in with the
others. The baking of cakes commenced
and was continued most of the nigiit.
Myself and wife went into the woodshed,
and on a bundle of buifalo robes camped for
the night. It was a gay wedding trip, and

I't07: Odrh^i-'

.moo'i ff

. .IS
K^ OS

bed c (i

73 >

:ia

/-O

ifi

240 HISTOPJCAL AXD REMINISCENCES OF

when we reached Des }.[oiiies the next noon
we were ready to stop. I was fortunate
enough to be appointed chairman of the
committee on township and county organi-
zation, and as the abolishing of the County
Judge had been an issue durinej the cam-
paign. I went to worlv at once to accomplish
that end.

Two tides had flowed into Iowa in popula-
ting the State, one from the east, bringing
the Xew England element and habits, with
its memory of town meetings and individual
rights, and one from the south, bringing
with it the southern element with its
thoughts and polity.

In the early settlement of the State, the
southern had largely predominated, and the
State's early organization was fashioned and
moulded by that influence, and the old
Baronial system had been perpetuated
through the slave power, where necessity re-
quired a centralizing. To abolish this one
man power and disperse it among the many
was looked upon by the southern element as
dangerous in the extreme, and considerable
bitterness was engendered when a change
was demanded.

Party lines were thrown down, and former

CHICKASAW COU^'TY. IOWA. 241

infliieuccs and surrouudiiigs coutrolled the
vote. As chainnau of the committee, liav-
ing the bill in charge, I prepared and pre-
sented the following report with the bill:
"Your committee to whom the different
Memorials, Petitions and Bills relating to
the reorganization and change of the county
government was referred, b}^ a majority of
their number, report: That having exam-
ined the matters touching the same, find
that in their opinion, th(i present system is
not adapted to or consistent with the genius
of our institutions, tending as it does to cen-
tralize rather than diffuse political power.
Admitting as we do, that the County Judge
system possesses an efiiciency far above any
other, we cannot concede that it places
power where it will always secure the rights
of the people by whom it is delegated. As
a financial agent, the County Judge is placed
beyond the immediate reach of the people,
and the very efiicienc}^ with which he wields
power, makes it the more dangei'ous. Se-
cure in his own councils, he may prepare the
way, and in an unexpected moment, strike
a blow that will paralyz3 and cripple the
energies of a county for years.
Believing that all political power is inher-

[BO ev

242 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCKNCLS 07

eiit ill the people, aud should only 1)e dt;le-
gated b}' them, when an act is to be done
that cannot be performed in their individual
capacit}'. and when so delegated, should be
provided with checks and balances, and re-
tained as near as possible, we are led to con-
clude that the po\>'er of the County Judge is
a dangerous one, and so far as it pertains to
the finances of a county, should be taken
from him, and vested in agents more im-
mediately from the body of the people.
Even if the finances could be safely intrusted
to one man, we should find potent reasons
for objecting to the present system.

Possessed as is the County Judge of Pro-
bate Jurisdiction, by following the course of
human events, all the property of the State
passes through his court as often as once in
thirty j^ears. The present inetficiency in
protecting the estates of decedents alone,
would be sufficient to warrant a change.

Chosen, as is now the County Judge, for
his financial ability rather than any attain-
ment that would entitle him to the position
,of a Judge of Probate, this becomes a sec-
ondary matter, and in many instances is
entirely lost sight of. Your committee
would in view of these facts, recommend

fM [,f,

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us.

-ifli 9fGfl[I

10 'iti'ieqo'iq sdl Ur ,aJfl»Ye a^mud

iir

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b/isfuii

CniCIlASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 243

the passage of the following bill as a substi-
tute for Senate Files Nos. 45 and 4G." The
forces were nearly equally divided and the
bill passed onh' by one majority. One of
the arguments againsE the change was that
it would raise up a brood of small politicians,
there being so many offices to fill and this
would make a disturbing element. That
there has arisen a brood of "small politi-
cians" I am willing to concede, but not from
that cause.

At the election of 1859 there was a County
Superintendent of Common Schools to be
elected, and that fact had been overlooked
hy the county convention, and when the
tickets were to be printed I called the fact
to the attention of the printer, and he
wanted to know who had better be put upon
the ticket. Dr. J. F. Wilson was suggested
and agreed upon, but there was no one that
could give his initials, and as I had a letter
from J. C. Strong who was a congregational
minister in Bradford, his name was suggested
and substituted, and much to his surprise he
was elected without knowing that he was a
candidate, or that there was such an ofiice
to be filled. Thus he became the tirst
County Superintendent. About the same

'244 HISTORICAL AND r.E:riNISCE5:CES OF

thing happened in the nomination of ii mem-
ber of the State School Board, it being pro-
vided under the new constitution that there
should be one elected from each Congress-
ional District. After the nomination of a
Representative. 1 arose and moved that A.
B. F. Hildreth of Charles City be nominated
bj' acclamation, and this developed the fact
that there was not another member of the
convention that knew that there was such
an office to be filled. Hildreth was nomi-
nated. In 1S61 J. F. ^Vilson was elected
Representative. He was sandy complex-
ioned, red haired, and a close student, but
had a hobby about a grammar constructed
upon physiological principles, and he pre-
pared a first part of a volume and had it
published, wherein the letters were classified
according to the organs used in utterinu:
them, and these were subdivided according
to the special action of the organs thus
used. It showed much thought, and as
a theory had some thing- to commend it,
but before a pupil could co\mprehend it. a
full knowledge of physiology was necessary.
Its very weight was enough to make it
impracticable and useless, as a text book.
The spring of 1S61 opened with tlie excite-

d'?r

^i**?

31 '

be'i

; Bfnni

enrit

ciiicaasa"^ coukty. IOWA. 2-45

mpiit iDcideiit to the action of the soatbeni
states in passing ordinances of secession, and
all business was brought to a stand.

An extra session of the legislature was
called, and hiring a horse from George Mor-
ton, 1 started on horseback for Des ]\Ioines.
I was four days on the road, and left my
horse out in the country for keeping during
the session. At the close of the session I
returned with a commission from the Gov-
ernor to raise a company of volunteers,
and was requested to act as aid to the Gov-
ernor. The forepart of the season was used
in the drilling of squads in different parts of
the county.

There had been a nre company organized
at Bradford under the name of "Fontenelle
Co., No. 1," and they had secured belts with
the name emblazoned upon them, although
there was no engine, ladders, truck or pails
to be used in case of fire. As was remarked
by an old citizen, ''They were h — 1 on par-
ade, but not of much use." This appeared
to be an opportune time for the exhibition
of their special talent, and securing wooden
guns, and buckling on their belts, they passed
through evolutions that would have sur-
prised a drill-master. As I now recall their

rmrl^voz ^di 5o

ij mo'ii D(

i iUQ'iQWib fli ebfiups '^ ,b mh iii

■ " ■ 0

■ s

246 HISTORICAL AND RK.MIXISCENCES OF

'•hollow sqnare.s," "hiiiyrinthine wind/' an*:!
many other evolutions, I can but think Innv
little any of us comprehended what \var
meant. Word came to me that a company
had been accepted, and then came the enlist-
ing for three years, or during the war, and
when this tine company of dress parade men
were called to enlist in earnest only one man
was willing to volunteer and that was D. A.
Babcock. Afterwards there was a change of
sentiment, and probably sixty to seventy per
cent of the fire company enlisted. Most ot
them w^ere mustered into Company "B," 7th
Iowa Infantr3\ '^^^e company was to start
on the 14th of July, and there was to be a
general gathering of the company at Chick-
asaw on the 4th, where there was to be a
celebration, and it seemed that the whole
country came to see the boys before they left
for the field of conflict.

It was an anxious day, long to be remem-
bered, and little attention was paid to the
address, but little knots of friends gathered
around the men who were so soon to start
to the front, and the suppressed sobs of
mothers, wives, sisters, and loved ones who
dare not show the intensity of their feelings,
was trying in the extreme. There was a

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bo. ,.

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Of'

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 247

little incit^lent wlioii tlie president of tiie da}^
said that "the Rev- Witted would now pray
to them." The Reverend Witted arose and
remarked that the president was mistaken,
for he "should not pray to the people, but
to Almighty God," and if there ever was an
earnest invocation that ascended to heaven,
then 1 believe he then and there uttered one-
The day, the surroundings^ the state of feel-
ing, all conspired to bring out to its fullest
intensity, the aspirations of the people and
a desire that God would protect the boys and
the loved ones so soon to be left at home.
There was to be a gathering of the company
at Bradford on the morning of the 14th day
of July, and squads of men that had enlisted
in oUier counties came on the 13th. The
night before the oompany was to start three
of the boys were married.

At Bradford, on the 13th inst., by Rev. Mr.
Nutting, Mr. George Morse to Miss Adeha Bird,
all of Bradford.

Also at New Hampton, same date, by G. A.
Hamilton, Esq., Mr. F. D. Bosworth to Lizzie
Smith, both of Bradford.

Also at New Hampton on the 14th inst., by C.
O. Case, Esq., acting county judge, Mr. G. S.
Arnohi to Miss Lois Amelia Gillett, both of New
Hampton.

Tl':

All .

,bii9 Bile oi ezv

1 .'-.
eeno bs

Si ,v{oL io

?4S mSTORTCAL AND KEMINISCEN'CKS OF

After the battle of DoDe]>on, F. D. Bos-
worth, lie having been promoted from Orderly
to Second Lieutenant on the death of George
Dodge, who \va.^ killed at Belmont, resignc.l
and r<^turned home, but Sheldon Arnold
never saw his wife again, as he died at Iron
Mountain, Aiissouri, being- the first to die in
the Company. Early on the morning of the
]4tli the Xew Hampton contingent went to
Bradford, and there met the balance of the
Company. A large number of farmers were
present with their teams to take the volun-
teers as far as Cedar Falls. At Cedar Falls
the boys thought they v/ere badly treated,
as they were obliged to lie on a carpeted
floor in the Odd Fellows' hall, and were not
furnished beds. When they were on their
road home they would have felt that they
were being treated as lords if they could
have found such luxuriant quarters, but then
they had become soldiers, and were no longer
simply country boys. We were quartered
at the "Peosta'' in Dubuque, and a high old
time we had while there. There was a circus
in town and we v/ere passed in as soldiers.
When the performance was about half
through word came that there was a boat to
take us to Burlington, and rising above his

CniCKAf^AW COUNTY, lOV.'A. 249

paint and garb, the clown give us one of the
most patriotic speeches I ever listened to.

The following is the muster roll of the
Company, showing from what county each
man came:

I'ROII CniCKA.SAW COUNTY.

1. Babcock, D. A Bradford.

2. Biggar, Tiiomas Bradford.

3. Campbell. D Bradford.

4. Campbell, D. L Bradford.

5. Dodge. G. W Bradford.

6. Felt, A. J Bradford.

7. Foster, C. W Bradford.

8. Haskell, E. A Bradford.

9. Horton, Truman Bradford.

10. Laird, John Bradford.

11. Morse, George Bradford.

12. Newman, William Bradford.

13. Pettit, L. C Bradford.

14. Rntherford, J. A Bradford.

15. Tannahill, William Bradford.

16. Thomas, Jefferson Bradford.

IT. Albcrtson. Fernand-) Chickasaw.

18. Case, Allen Chickasaw.

19. McTuggart, Daniel Chickasaw.

20. Thomas, John Chickasaw.

21. Witled, Matthew Chickasaw.

22. Witted, Rev. J. G Chickasaw.

23. PeasQ, Geo Fredericksburg.

24. Mills, Robert Jacksonville.

.01

tl
I
r
r

250 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

25. Bean, Henry Xaslma.

26. Bean, Levi L Xaslma.

27. Fisher, I. M Xaslma.

2S. Holmes. O. A Xaslma.

29. Hurley. Frank H Xashua.

30. McConnell. John Xashiia.

31. ■ Montrose, H. W Xashiia.

32. Shannon, D. H Xashua,

33. Trott, Chas. H Xashua.

34. Arnold, G. S Xew Hampton ,

35. Bordv.ell, Frank X'ew Hampton.

36. Carkins, Levi Xew Hampton .

37. Gardner, Gideon Xew Hampton .

38. Jackson. A. D X'ew Hampton .

39. Mort-^n, B. E Xew Hampton.

40. 3lai:ee, John Xew Hampton .

41. J\[orton, A. H Xew Hampton .

42. Powers, J. H Xew Hampton .

43. Kollins, Thos. E X'^ew Hampton .

44. Tisdalc, G. J X''ew Hampton .

45. "Wisner, H. S Xew Hampton.

46. Nye, ^teltiah Washington.

47. Bailey, J. P Williamstown.

48. Bailey, Zolotus Williamstown.

49. Birdsall W. W Williamstown.

50. Boswcrth, F. D Williamstown.

51. Jackson, Wm. H Williamstown.

52. Poppleton, B. H Williamstown.

53. Smith, H. P Williamstown.

54. Taylor, Ed. J Williamstown.

,n -

, n
,n

.avv

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 251

FROM FLOYD COUNTY.

55. Hanorhey, Sjlvanus Floyd.

56. Hoisingtoii, P. AI .......... . Howard ville.

57. Wollirrr, John C Ilowardville.

5S. Baker, Jas ]\[arble Rock.

59. Cornelia, Geo Marble Kock.

60. Clark, Henry H .Marble Rock.

61. Folsam, Samuel Marble Rock.

62. Hawks, Everett*. Marble Rock.

63. Hawks, :Marble Rock.

64. Smith, James Alarble Rock.

65. Ford, O. C Xora Springs.

66. Gregory, H. A Nora Springs.

67. Mead, G. W Nora Springs.

68. Wilson, James A Nora Springs.

69. Wilson, Joel C Nora Springs,

70. Brown, J ShellRock City.

'^l. Brown, E. B Shell Rock City.

72. Myers, J. R Shell Rock City.

73. Smith, H. J Shell Rock City.

74. Craig. Robt St. Charles City.

75. Doan. Robt St. Charles City.

76. Doan, Wm. G St. Charles City.

77. Reiniger, Robt. G St. Charles City.

78. Andrews, Davis C Watertown.

FKOM HOWARD COUNTY'.

79. Benson, H Howard Center.

80. Seeley, David Howard Center.

81. Thayer. W. E Howard Center.

82. Galiahan, J. M New Oregon.

.18

.07

252 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF
FROM MITCHELL COUNTY-

53. AViibur. Charles Osage.

54. Johuson, Kmit Osi^ge.

85. Spragiie. P. T Osage.

SG. Wright. John Osage.

ST. Howard, J. E Dayton Twp.

After being mu.stered in at Burlington, I
came up the river with Governor Kirkwood
and Adjutant-General Baker, and was given
a commission to raise another company, as
I had refused a commission in the first, that
was tendered me by the Governor, knowing
as I did the elements that formed the com-
pany, composed as it was of politicians and
county seat partizaus that had been a dis-
turbing element in the county. That there
were faults in the Captain commissioned to
the company is probable, but no man could
have been a successful ofncer in that company,
until the men were accustomed to military
orders, and I was not surprised when the
corapan}', led by G. J. Tisdale, showed their
insubordination, bj"- requesting the Captain
to resign. Under the direction of the Gov-
ernor, I raised another company, and was
commissioned as a Captain, and was mustered
into the 9th Iowa Infantry. Having ex-
pended every thing I could raise in enlisting

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. I'od

men. ni}^ faniil}' were left with the allowance
given by ihe county to families of enlisted
men, and nntil late in 1S'.U their only support
was from that source- A young wife and a
little babe here upon the bleak prairies, rely-
ing upon a count}' stipend, was not calcu-
lated to make life cheerful, but like hosts of
others, she met the demands of our country
in giving up her natural provider and pro-
tector, and wore the crown of self sacrifice
in the spirit of an American woman.

In the winter of 1SG2. our little boy that
I h'ad embraced and placed in the arms of
his mother, was taken sick. As I was laying
in "Missouri at the time, with typhoid fever,
it was kept from me. My wife hearing that
I bad died, sent her father to bring home
my body for burial. The day after he left
the boy died, and not hearing from her father,
she kept his body five days to bury him with
me. She then heard that I was alive and
had the boy buried at once, so as not to have
the sorrow of burying him take from my
chances of recovery. It was a sad home to
come to, but there were loving and tender
ones to nurse me back to health. The fol-
lowing summer, while camping Inick of Hel-
ena, Arkansas, one of-the men brought me a

254 nisTORicAL axd remimscexces of

paper Avhicli gave the detail of the drowning
of the wife of Capt. J. H. Power.^, of an Iowa
regiment. At this time no leave of absence
was allowed, but when I showed the com-
manding offcer this account, an exception
was made in my case, and I had leave of ab-
sence to come home. On my way home,
man}' of my acquaintances who had seen
the account, sympathised with me in my af-
fliction. When I reached Bradford, my
heart failed me and I decided to return to
duty without coming to iSew Hampton.
The friends there insisted that it would be
better for me to so home before returning,
and G. W. Howard offered to come over
with me. When about two miles out of
New Hampton, we met J. A. Sawin, who
•then lived just opposite my house- I had
not the heart to mention ray wife, but after
telling me that his family were all well, he
added, '"and I guess your folks are. for your
wife was at ray house when I left." The
next thing I realized, Howard had me by
the coat, and was saying, "hold on Powers,
I am going too. and you had better ride."

The mistake arose in giving the J. H.
Powers as being of an Iowa regiment, in
place of an Illinois regiment, according to

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. JOU

the facts. It is not often that both husband
and wife mourn their partners as dead wliile
they 5'et live.

After most of the able-bodied men had
enlisted there began to crop out a feeling of
disloyalty to the government, and mutter-
ings of discontent with the administration
and the conduct of the war. From a
grumbling and fault-tinding spirit it grew
into outspoken and threatening oi)position.
This was but the result of an influence that
bad been assiduously introduced among the
northern stay-atdiomes by southern emis-
saries. The wave that passed over Iowa
was but a rifple, but it brought to the sur-
face a class that only wanted an opportunity
to show their true sentiments. In th>3 propa-
gating of this sentiment secret organizations
were formed under the name of "Knights of
the Golden Cii'cle," and one was formed in
Chickasaw count}", and a list of its members
came into my possession, but I refrain from
publishing it, for if there was no other
reason, the sins of the fatiiers should not
be visited upon the children. These rebel
sympathizers were called '"copperheads" and
"butternuts," and aroused very bitter feel-
ings aL^ainst them bv the friends of the men

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256 nisToincAL and ke.miniscences of

in the ai-my^ aud by the loyiil element at
home. Their denunciation was bitter, and
even the pulpit partook of this feeling.
There was a United Brethren preacher wlio
came to Xew Hampton occasionally to
preach, and on one occasion when there liad
been some overt act that aroused his feel-
ings, he took the occasion to pour forth the
vials of his wrath against all "copperheads."
After he had piled up denunciation after
denunciation, he reached the climax of
hyperbole by declaring that "If God was to
roll a pill into hell as big as this earth, He
could not physic out as mean a thing as a
copperhead.""

Ed Piollins who lived between Xew Hamp-
ton and Fredeiicksburg, was home on sick
furlough, and in derision the '' butternuts"
used to wear sections of the butternut for
bosom pins, and the Secretary of the Chick-
asaw circle attended a spelling school wear-
ing one, aud was asked what it v/as. He
answered that it was a butternut. He had
hardly got the word out of his mouth before
Rollins grabbed for it, and not only took the
butternut, but took the whole front of his
shirt as well. After William Everingham
was discharged for disability, they atteuipted

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OHICKASAW COFNTY, IOWA. 257

to meet in the ?c]iool bouse near bim, an J
lie took bis rilie and started for tbe scbool
house, and on bis apx)roacb tbey all fled into
tbe brusb. Tbey knew better tban to trifle
^vitb William. Wben some of tbe boys
came bome on furlough and learned who was
President of tbe Circle, tbey sent word to
have him appear tbe next morning with his
gun. for drill. He came, and altbouf^h he
had declared that before lie would recognise
tbe right of Lincoln, or any of bis hireling
soldiers, to coerce a State that bad seceded
from the Union, he would wade in blood
knee deep, be came on time and was put to
drill under the command of one of tbe boys,
and when he became tired, anotber relieved
him, and before tbey were through ^dth bim,
there was little brag left, and be went home
a subdued and loyal man, so far as future
words showed.

Like all immigration into a new country,
the population was composed mostly of
young men, and there were but few exempt
from military duty by reason of age. in
New Hampton nearly every household sent
a representative, and there were many sad
farewells as we left for tbe war. Alvin H.
Morton had three little boys and a young

:D^

25S HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

wife, and he left tliem for the hist time, as he
•was killed at the battle of Belmont, being the
first man to fall in battle, from Xew Hamp-
ton. Left as she was, \Yithout means of
support, she took up the task of raising the
famil}' of boys and day after day found her
bending over the wash tub, as she earned a
scant living for her family. This is but a
type of the sacrifices that the women made
for their country. The anxious waiting, the
dead monotony of intense loneliness, and the
heartthrobs for absent ones, had to be borne
without complaint, for, in their womanhooLl,
they never allowed one word or thought to
escape from them to weaken the hearts of
the boys in the field. While their loved
ones were heroes in the field, they were
martyrs at home. God bless them and their
memory, and may we who were spared to
return, feel that as the evening of life
approaches, we are lovingly to shield them
with the protecting mantle of love and care,
and may their closing days be filled with
comfort and peace To those who lost their
loved ones, we owe a duty hard to meet, for
it is not in the power of the living to do
them justice.

As time developed the suppressed feeling

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of clisloj-alty, there were emissaries traveling
over the state to organize and arouse
opposition to the administration, and Stilson
Hutchins ^Yas advertised to hold a meeting
in new Hampton, hut when the day arrived
his place was supplied by Wra.McClintock of
West Union. McClintock made a bitter and
denunciatory speech against the administra-
tion, and against the war, and he was fol-
lowed by a citizen of this county who made
the following speech:

FeUoio citizens: — We have met here to-day to
perfect an organization, to arrest the evils of our
country and to bring it back to peace and prosper-
ity. We have an unnecessary war, a great war
debt and an unjust Conscription Act that values the
life of the poor man at 8-300. Abohtionists tell us
we can have a good jolhfication now, but in a few
months we shall be drafted into the army or sent to
imprisonment. "We must have harmon\' in the
Democratic party. The Democratic party had
always come up to the right scratch; as many
Democrats had gone into the army as Republicans
until the List call, when the war was changed into
an AboHtion war. It was so all over, so in tliis
State and particularly in this county. Two years
ago a Union Convention was called. CoL Merritt,
with fresh laurels from Mill Springs was nominated.
The Democrats gave up Judge Mason, their candi-

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260 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

date for Goveruor and niiitcd with the Union men
on Col. Merritt. The Kei)ubHcans were tricky and
run a party candidate; so it was in this county — a
mean p^rty trick. They say it is no Hrae for party
organization and that we are s^etting up a traitor
orfjanization, when they are making secret orjtan-
izations all over the country, and sent a circular to
me. They are orcranizinsj at Bradford and Chick-
asaw, and I presume in this place. Democrats
won't ortranize secret societies they don't believe
in them. We want a Democratic oro^anization.
Abolitionists say it is no time to oppose corruption
and fraud — no time to talk of fraud, — for it is
opposition to the Government, while they are up
to their elbows tn fraud, swindlino^ government and
plunderinn: the public crib. Senator Harlan and
the Republicans cried out against frauds two years
ago; what was sauce for the goose then is not sauce
for the gander now. We Democrats won't have
them guardians over us now. Cameron could
plunder the Government and be sustained; Morgan
and Wells, in ship contracts, plundered Govern-
ment; Simmons received §4:0,000 interest on a con-
tract and was afraid of an investigation that he
resigned and went home. So with McKinstry and
Fremont, both guilty of frauds, and the people, we
the poor people must be taxed to pay the debts.

What shall we say of arbitrary arrests? The
accused are taken from their homes without trial.
I would not comphiin if they would only give them
afair trial; but tliey let them all go; released them.

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CniCKA^^AW COUNTY, IOWA. 261

even Mahonoy, vrhh an honorable discharge witli-
out any trial. We Democrats at first sustained the
\var; but M'hen it was changed into an xVbolition
war democrats complained, and were arrested for
merely couiplaininir aboutjt.

^[ilitary arrests were only made in time of war;
and in times of war tyrants seized the government
to make themselves t3'rants, and I believe the
Administration mean to seize our Government.
France elected Napoleon president and in time of
war he seized the frovernment of France aided b}*
the army; so it was the universal practice of all
governments to overturn all the rights of the
people, and I believe the cry of military arrests
is an organization to overturn our government.
This is the danger apprehended by Jeiferson,
Adams, and Washington. The Democrats have
held the government (except for a few years,) since
its formation. This is the maiden attempt of the
Republicans and just see how our country is ruined
in two years. We must arrest the wrong and save
the country. The Democrats nipped the nullifica-
tion in the bud in 1S32, but this Administration has
been two years in doing nothing but plunging the
country in debt and ruin. The Abolitionists are
the hell-broth of our civil war. (Great applause.)
They say we have no right to question, any act of
the Administration; no right to meet to-day to dis-
cuss any of these questions in our country. The Abo-
litionists sa}" that public opinion must be suppressed;
men must not be allowed to express their opinions;

262 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCE.^ OF

freedom of speech is forbidden ns Democrats. li
it is attempted Abolitionists admonish us that it is
an attempt to destro}- the Constitytion. The Abo-
litionists have made such a debt that it cannot evei
be paid, but the tax-gatherer must always knock at
the poor man's hamlet. "We can organize and
overturn them, and next fall we will see them
annihilated. We must ehow honorable conduct and
kindness to each other, and then when we have
got the Government into our hands we can restore
it to purity and peace: and as our country is a
great and growing country, if the Democrats get
the Government into their hands we believe there
is vigor and energy enough left, that in a few years
we could pay o2 all our indebtedness.

The following resolutions were adopted:

Resolved^ That we condemn the present admin-
istration for the enormous indebtedness it has
fastened upon the people by its reckless extrava-
gance and corruption and for the taxation of the
laboring white man to purchase the freedom and
secure the elevation of the negro.

Besolved, That the war should be prosecuted
vigorously for the Union, the constitution and the
enforcement of the laws as originally commenced,
and we denounce the course pursued by the party
in power, for diverting it into a warfiire for the
abolition of slavery.

liewlved'. That we denounce secession as a
dangerous heresy, opposed to the spirit of the

CHICKA-:A\Y county. IOWA. 2Go

constitution, and as such shouKi be suppressed tliat
the Union and tlio coustitntiou may be preserved
as our fathers made it.

Resolved, That we are unaltcrabl}' opposed to
the "American citizens of African descent"
(under former administrations, called the negro)
beius: transported into the State of Iowa.

Resolved, That we condemn tlie acts of the
abolition party in oro^anizing and establishins:
secret political military societies in our county and
State, and declare ourselves opposed to all secret
political organizations.

Re-solved, That the late conscript act which
values the poor man's life at s300, and furnishes an
easy exemption for the rich is unjust and oppres-
sive in compelling that class of our fellow citizens
to fight our battles who are so unfortunate as to be
unable to purchase their exemption, and we hereby
condemn this attempt to build up a privileged
aristocracy in this country.

Indignation run liigb, and the women who
had members of their families in the army,
were, aroused to a frenzy, and were deter-
mined to take vengeance then and there, by
attacking with brooms and mops and driv-
ing the offenders from town, and had it not
been for the firm stand of Mrs. Powers, an
attack would have been made. She was
successful in showing the outraged women
that it would not be for the best, and that

264 HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCKNCE5 OF

time would bring its punishiiieut, and she
has lived to see the ])ropbec3' fulfilled, and
the dregs of the punishment were drastic
and bitter.

Viewed in the calm of later years, I have
the feeling that this speech was uttered
more in the spirit of partizauship than in
that of disloj-altjs and ^vith the hope to ride
triumphantly upon the wave of reaction that
the opposition believed was soon to sub-
merge the country.

At the election of AV. E. Beach to the
office of Treasurer and Recorder in 1SG0>
Russel Baldwin, of Chickasaw, had been
spoken of as a probable candidate for the
office, and to promote "harmony,'' Beach had
to promise to make his son, Horace C. Bald-
win, deput}'. This bargain was charged
during the campaign, and was disposed of in
such a way as to make it impolitic for him
to enter upon his duties at once, as it might
give rise to unpleasant comment and have a
tendency to verify the charge made, and
then there was something more than a
rumor that his son was not qualified, and
under the stress of circumstances Russell
Baldwin came himself to the county seat
and acted as deputy, for a time, but busi-

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CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 2GJ

ness, ostensibly, calling him lioiiie. his sou
was sent over to take his place. With little
practical qualitication he commenced to
record instruments, aud b}- laboriou-ly fol-
lowing the form and copj' ;of the woik of 'M.
B. Taylor, who had been a deputy under
Howai-d aud Bos worth, and who was the best
recorder ever in the ofiice, up to that time,
he soon acquired his handwriting, and with-
out a previous knowledge, it is hard to dis-
tinguish their writing one from the other,
the copy is so complete.

Of course the father never came back into
the office, and the son remained as deputy.
This painstaking perseverence developed a
natural talent, and he acquired painstaking
business habits that have followed him
through an active business life, and con-
tributed much to his success. He is now the
Mayor of the city in which he lives, and the
President of a National Bank. When vol-
unteers were beiug called for, it was sug-
gested that he enlist, but he said that he
might a^i well stay at home as anyone, as
some one would -have to do the work, but if
some one could be secured who could not
enlist because of inability, he would go.

Mr. Beach at once appointed Miss E.G.

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2CG HISTOinCAL AND KKMINISCENCES OF

Stebbins as his deputy, and as .she was dis-
qualified for enlistment, not only because
ahe was a woman, but further because she
was not reirulation hciglit or weight, being
less than live feet high, and weighing less
than ninety pounds. The reciuirements
having been met, he enlisted, and su1)se-
quently became captain of Co. C, thirty-
eighth Iowa Infantry. Thus it was that
Miss Stebbins was the fii'st woman in Iowa
to hold a county office. She also was the
first woman in the world to be appointed a
i^otary Public.

At the election of 1S61, Caleb Arnold was
elected successor of C. H. Dore, as County
Judge. This position was given him in sym-
pathy for the loss of his son in the army,
and not for any special qualification.

He was a native of Vermont, and had
received a very meager common school edu-
cation, and his life had not been such as to
develop any natural talent he might have
had, and the record shows that there was
little m his official life to commend his fitness
for the position.

He was below the medium height, square
built, wore a smiling countenance, and always
appeared with a stub of a pipe in his mouth.

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cnrcKASAW county, iowa. 267

His industry as a farmer was not such as to
bring great returns, and he left his farm and
sought oflicial honors as Justice of the Peace
and County Judge.

At the election of 1S63 Henry C. Viutou
was elected Representative. He came from
Massachusetts and had friends in Bradford,
and came West to grow up with the countr3\
He went into the raising of sheep and erected
barns and sheds and stocked his farm with
sheep. He was one of those good boys, white
haired, light complexion, and lacked what is
so necessary to success in a new country,
"vim." He was elected for various reasons,
and among them was the fact that his friends
stood high, and their influence was a power,
and this was supplemented with the cry that
he would be a representative of the farming
interests of the county, especially of the new
industry of sheep raising. Then again most
of the men who would likely be aspirants
were in the army, and all who were in the
habit of shaping the politics of the county
had left.

He was a good man, but had little force to
impress himself upon a legislative body, and
he was never heard from, only as a voter,
and not making a success of his business he
sold out and left.

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26S HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCENCKS OF

In 1S59 J. K. Nutting came to Bradford
and commenced his labors as a minister of
the gospel, in the Congregational church. At
this time there was not a protestant church
building in th(e connt3^ Nutting went to
work, holding meetings in an old vacant
building and hall. He was an inveterate
worker, and being something of a mechanical
genius, he was architect and general ovei'-
seer. I have seen him mixing mortar and
doing the most laborious work, in fact there
was a large amount of Nutting worked into
the building. He improvised a furnace,
utilizing the remains of an old boiler in its
construction. As an instance of his inge-
nuity, I recall his using an old mill gearing in
the making of a horse power for sawing
wood, locating the same on the banks of
" Dry Run," adjoining his house. The bull
wheel, or power wheel, run above his horse,
the track for his horse' being under its outer
edge. He also built himself a " grout '" house
that still stands as a relic of the past- After
much sacriM.ce and personal exertion, the
church was completed, and on his solicita-
tion, a bell was furnished by one of his
eastern friends, and thus the first church had
the first l)ell in the county that pealed forth

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CniCKASAW COU>*TY. IOWA. 260

an invitaMon to ^'ather for worship. The
church was painted a brown color and fitted
the inspiration of \V. S. Pitts, who wrote
that beautiful song that has been sung
around the world, ''The Little Brown Church
in the Vale."' Thus, while the " Pi^'s Eye "
was gathering in the disciples of Bacchus,
with "Stick Dodge'' as h)o;h priest, Nutting
was rallying the forces of morality and
religion to a higher life, and lavincj the
foundations upon which was to rest future
civilization and development.

In point of numbers, the bachanalian
hosts seemed to be in the ascendancy, and
as their spirits run high, their triumphant
hosaunas were wafted upon the midnight
air, to the homes of the waiting and watch-
ing ones; while the followers of him "that
spake as never man spake," were preparing
the way for the future.

While the revels of the one are only a sad
memor_v, the intiuence of the other has
moved steadily on, until its power is leading
civilization to a higher standard. This man
Nutting had a way of his own of making a
point and sending it home- His neighbors
hens commenced to destroy his garden, and
after calling the neighbor's attention to the

"270 HI3T0EICAL A>^D REMINISCENCES OF

destruction the}* were making, and getting
uo relief, he went to anotlier neighbor and
borrowed a shot gun. In a short time there
was a great commotion among the hens,
and the continued shooting and c:ickliu£j of
the hens, soon brought his neighbor upon
the field of action. The words that were
showered upon the divines' head were not
few or mild, but still the shooting went on
and no word from Xutting.

"\\'hen the garden was cleared, and after
he had listened to the profane denunciation
of his neighbor, who declared there could be
no Christianity in such a man, he meekly
returned the gun to its owner, with thanks.
The party of whom he had borrowed the
gun, felt it was a duty he owed him. and
preceded to remonstrate with him for shoot-
ing his neighbor's hens. In much surprise,
Nutting exclaimed, "Shooting hens, shoot-
ing hens, why, I have not shot any hens, I
was shooting my neighbor for not caring for
his hens. There was no shot in the gun and
I did not hurt his hens." Of course this
came to the ears of the offending neighbor,
and that night he came over and apologized
for what he had said and his hens were taken
care of.

CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 271

Feelirg that bis work should be supple-
mented by an educational work, lie was
instrumental in starting an academy, and
W. P. Bennett was.,secured as principal and
teacher. Through this instrumentalit}',
there was developed an ambition for a
higher education, and as a result of the
stimulus thus engendered, a number of
young people were developed and helped to
advance in life's work. Among others, were
the two. Grawe brothers, one of whom
became a Congregational minister, and the
other a school teacher. County Superintend-
ent of Schools, and elected the second time
in 1S74.

Subsequently he became the editor of the
Xashua Fo.it. succeeding A. J. Felt. To suc-
ceed the versatile Felt, was no easy matter,
but in place of lowering the standard of the
paper, time showed that it had hardl}'
entered the confines of usefulness, until it
was developed by J. F. Grawe. After a short
labor as pastor, the brother died, and thus a
prospective honorable and useful career was
cut off. Another young man that received
his start in this school was Hart who gradu-
ated at Iowa College and who is now one of
the educators of the state. His wife, Mary

0* bsqied.

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272 HISTORICAL AST) REMINISCENCES OF

Big2:er, also starfcil here and gradautt^'l at
Iowa College, but died soon after marriage.
Aside from these individual and prominent
examples, there has been an abiding intiu-
ence for good growing out of that school,
and many a man and woman occupies a
higher position to-da}'', than they would had
it not existed, and many a parent is unwit-
tingly singing its praises, as they give trend
to the character and development of their
children.

In 18(34 there came into the county a
cadaverous, stooping young man, driving a
flock of sheep, and one observing him would
conclude that the pace that he was taking,
as he followed the flock, was but typical of
the movements of the procession that would
soon follow him to his last resting place.
Subsequently tie came to Xew Hampton as
an itinerant singing school teacher. When
I first saw him he was stoop-shouldered, hol-
low chested, and the most marked thing
about him was his mouth, which was out of
all proportion to the rest of his body. He
appeared to be a good singer, and the open-
ing out of which cune the sound was ample,
but where the sound came from, after look-
ing at his shrunken body, one wondered.

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 273

Aaiong his songs was "Katie Lee and Willie
Gray," and the soul he pot into that song
indelibl}^ impressed it upon me. Seeing him
as we saw him then, no one would suspect
that it could be our portly townsman and
banker, W. L. Darrow, yet such is the fact.
W. L. Darrow is a creature of western devel-
opment, acquirino- his corpulence and money
here in our county.

In 1SG4 B. E. Morton having returned
from the army, having been wounded by a
bullet through the leg, at the battle of Frank-
lin, was elected Recorder without opposition,
and held the office for three following con-
secutive terms. He was one of three brothers
that went out from New Hampton, one,
Alvin H., having been killed at Belmond,
being the fii^t to be killed in battle, that
went from New Hampton. As a Recorder
he did the work reasonably well, but ho
lacked the faculty to store his earnings, and
at the close of his official career had saved
but little, and followed the example of his
father, by moving west to grow up with the
couutr}', and made his home in Kansas. His
father, Jason Morton, was the first to receive
burial in the New^ Hampton Cemetery, be-
ing moved from where he was first buried,
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274 HISTORICAL AND RKMINISCENCES OF

about two miles west of towu. He was a
Maine man. and started out from the land
of his birth, with his youni^ wife in a covered
wagon drawn by oxen, stopping en route to
Iowa, in Pennsjdvania, Ohio, Indiana. Illin-
ois, AVisconsin, and landed in Iowa in 1S5S
with two covered wagons and a large fam-
ily. He had emigrated from place to place,
just ahead of railroads, and when he died
had never seen one.

His aged wife went to Kansas ahead of
the advent of the iron horse, and when she
died a few years later, she had never seen a
railroad.

In the fall of 1SG5, the boys having re-
turned from the army. G. J. Tisdale was
nominated for Representative, and D. A.
Babcock run as an independent, against
him. They canvassed the county together,
and Tisdale was elected by a small majorit}-.
If Babcock could have had equal prestige
by receiving the party nomination, he would
undoubtedly have been elected.

M. C. Ayers located as a practicing attor-
ney in Xew Hampton in 1S65, being the thinl
lawyer to open an office in that town. He
was not fully equipped for his profession b}'
a preliminary education, for he had struggled

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with tlio dem:iii«]> of i\\\^ life io thesui)port
of his family I)}' working at the trade of
lathing and plastering. He was as good a
theorizer in the law as often appeared at the
bar, but lacked the power to utilize his the-
ories and his success was limited. Then his
habit of action led him to delay what could
be postponed, and he failed to secure a rep-
utation for "push.'' I think his peculiar
trait in this line was fully exemplified by his
preparation for building his morning fires.
It mattered not how cold and stormy it
might be, he never made preparation the
night before for building his morning fire,
but would go out in the morning and split
kindling wood with which to build it. He
was an amiable, honest, reliable man and
bore an unimpeachable character. He emi-
grated to Dakota.

Tisdale went out in the Seventh Iowa
Infantr}^ and when the Seventh and ]Sinth
regiments met at Benton Barracks, St.
Louis, he desired a transfer to the Xiuth,
and I consented that one of the men in my
company who had acquaintances in the
Seventh, might be transferred in exchange
for Tisdale- When he came to the Xinth,
I had him mustered into Company E, that

276 HISTORICAL AND REMINESCENXES OF

compaii}' being composed of men onciualifieJ
to act as Orderly, and he was appointed to
that i>o>ition. At the battle of Pea Iiidge,
he was wounded, and the Captain being
killed in the same battle, the First Lieuten-
ant was promoted to Captain, and Tisdale
was jumped to First Lieutenant. When the
new Captain resigned, the Second Lieuten-
ant was jumped to Captain. He was a
young man of towering ambition, and pos-
sessed of sufficient assurance to assert his
claims, and although counted a little -'fresh,*
he made a very favorable impression in the
legislature.

In October, 1S65, Captain Gardner brought
a stranger to my office and introduced him
as Dr. Mixer. The wants of the town and
surrounding country were discussed, and
when about to leave the office, the doctor
remarked that if he could find an office, he
would locate in New Hampton. I told him
that he might stop in my office until he
could do better, and he commenced practice
that afternoon, and nothing further was said
about changing office for twelve years, he
remaining with me for that time. As I had
received some experience in attending where
necessity, in the absence of a doctor, had

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required, he always took me along with him
as assistant, in cases of surgery, until the
advent of more doctors, when I dropped out
of the practice.

Dr, ]\lixer attained the summit of profes-
sional reputation, and became one of the
most extensive practitioners in the countj",
being especially noted as a surgeon. While
being thus pressed with professional cares,
he found time to build the Opei'a House, and
run two or three farms, and write a contin-
uous series of political articles that appeared
as editorials in the New Hauipton Courier- So
frequent and scathing were these articles,
that the cj^uestion was asked at each recurring
election, '' Who is Dr. Mixer going for now?''
I recall only one instance where the question
could have been put the other way, and that
was at the first election of John Foley as
Treasurer, when he not only pitched into his
opponent, but gave Foley open and affirma-
tive support. Combative to excess, the years
carried many political stings under his lash-
ings, and when the Di*. became a candidate
for legislative honors, they were fully settled,
and in some cases, paid with good ten per
cent comj'ound interest. He was uaturall}^
a strong man, ambitious to lead, unsparing

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27S HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

to opponents and could brook opposition
with poor grace- He did much to develop
the count}-, and when he left in 1S92 parted
v\'ith man\' sincere friends.

At the June session of the Board of Super-
visors, I went before them and urged tlie
necessity of building a court house. In a
spirit of banter they asked for plans and
specifications, and I vrent to my office and
during the afternoon of the same day, pre-
sented them with plans and specifications.
They then said if I would find a contractor
that would take his chances of ever getting
his pay from the swamp land fund that the
county might get some day, they would let
the job. I told them I would take the con-
tract and give bond for its performance.
Still thinking it audacity on my part, they
asked me to prepare resolutions for the ap-
pointment of a committee to enter into con-
tract with me. I set down and hastily
drew the following resolutions:

Re.-ioli'ed^ That Palmor, of Jacksonville, Kasiain,
of DaytOD, and Woodbridcre, of Bradford, be a
committee to enter into agreement with, and if
practicable make a contract with any resijonsibie
parties, for the erection of a count}' building, ac-
cording to the plan and specifications now on iilc
in the ofiBce of the clerk of the board. And if they

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CIIICKASAAV^ COUNTY, IOWA. 279

deem chau^es or additions necessary, stipulate for
the same to be paid out of the count}' funds, but in
no case to exceed SouO.OO for such hist mentioned
purpose.

JlcsoIi'ccI, That said committee be empowered to
offer the contractor an interest of ten per cent.,
payable out of the county funds on sums due for
the erection of said buildinof, and payable, out of
the swamp land fund, until said fund shall be re-
ceived by the count}', and paid over to contractor
or his order.

Resolved^ That the committee report their doings
in the premises together with a copy of any con-
tract they may enter into for the action of the
board.

The committee made the following report:

Your committee to whom was referred a resolu-
tion in reference to the erection of a county build-
ing would respectfully report:

First. We would respectfully recommend that
the building be double plastered and painted inside
and out.

Second. We would recommend that the accom-
panying contract be adopted and approved.

Third. We would recommend that to meet the
first payment the county hire of the school fund
five hundred dollars.

Fourth. We would recommend that the clerk
of the board of supervisors be authorized to issue
to the contractor warrants for the several sums due

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deem chancres or additions necessary, stipulate for
the same to be paid out of the county funds, but in
no case to exceed -S500.00 for such hist mentioned
purpose.

Eesoli'cd, That said committee be empowered to
offer the contractor an interest of ten per cent.,
payable out of the county funds on sums due for
the erection of said buildinir, and payable, out of
the swamp land fund, until said fund shall be re-
ceived by the count}', and paid over to contractor
or his order.

Ee-solved, That the committee report their doings
in the premises together with a copy of any con-
tract they may enter into for the action of the
board.

The committee made the following report:

Yoar committee to whom was referred a resolu-
tion in reference to the erection of a county build-
ing would respectfully report:

First. We would respectfully recommend that
the building be double plastered and painted inside
and out.

Second. We would recommend that the accom-
panying contract be adopted and approved.

Third. We would recommend that to meet the
first payment the county hire of the school fund
five hundred dollars.

Fourth. We would recommend that the clerk
of the board of supervisors be authorized to issue
to the contractor warrants for the several sums due

2S0 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

ou said contract as tbc}' become due, drawiug on
the several funds as set forth in the contract.

Accompanyinpj this report was the follow-
ing contract:

This contract entered into on this Gth day of
June. A. D. ISGo, by and between Chickasaw
county, State of Iowa, of the first part, and J. H.
Powers of the second part, witnesseth: that the
said party of the second part agrees to erect iind
finish according to the specifications now on file in
the office of the Board of Supervisors, a county
building, the work to be done in the style of the
■work done on the Congregational Church in 2sew
Hampton, and the weather work to be of good pine
lumber; the building to be erected in a good work-'
manlike manner, finished inside and out, and
painted with two coats of paint of white lead or
zinc; said building to be plastered and complete
for use, the seating used being the seats now owned
by the county for county purposes. The walls of
the building to be double ]')iastered by lathing and
plastering between the studding; the vault to be
square as platted, and the entrance to the same
being under the stairs and to have double doors of
boiler iron, one opening inside and one outward,
with good iron hinges and iron fastenings for the
same, and the walls of said vault to be at least sLx-
teen inches thick with an opening in the same, and
at least the outer wall to be of brick or stone. Said
building to rest upon a good substantial stone
foundation in height similar to the one under the

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Con£:regational mcetin2:-b()i]?G in New Hampton;
said buildino: to bo completed before the 20tli day
of iSTovember, A. D. 1SC5.

And the party of the first part a^rrees to pa}' the
party of the second part, for the erection of said
building as above described the following sums, and
on the conditions and terms to-wit: Eight hundred
and fort}- dollars (8S40) paid down in cash. Five
hundred dollars (s500) to be paid when the build-
ing is raised, said payment to be made by an order
on the funds m, or to come into the possession of
the county as ''swamp land funds," with interest
thereon payable out of the county funds at ten p(?r
cent per annum payable annually, until the county
shall receive money from the United States as said
"swamp land funds"' and until the same is paid
the said J. fl. Powers, or his order; five hundred
dollars (§500) when the building shall be enclosed
payable on the conditions, and in the manner above
stated; and eleven hundred and sixty dollars
(si, 160) payable as the foregoing, out of the said
swamp land fund when the building is completed;
and G. W. Butteriield, W. E. Beach and W. B.
Grant shall be a committee to examine, and if
found complete according to this contract, to
accept said building from the hands of the con-
tractor, previous to his receiving his last payment.

And^it is further stipulated thftt the said J. 11.
Powers enter into bonds runninir to the county, in
the sum of thirty tive lumdred dollars, with surety
to be approved by the clerk of the board of super-

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visors, F. D. Bosvrorth and A. E. Bicjelow, before
be shall be entitled to draw any of said money.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands
this sixth day of June, A. D. 1SG5.

Wm. Palmer,
Wm, Haslam,
e. d. woodbkidge.
"We being appointed a committee to let contract
for buildiorr county buildin.o:; to be approved by
the board.

Hiram Cailey,
Chairman Board Supe/^kors.
J. H. Powers.
The recommendation of the committee
was adopted with the exception of the third,
which was changed so that instead of hiring
"five hnndred dollars school fund," the
clerk to issue ten county warrants in sums
of fifty dollars each. This contract was
completed in the forenoon of the seventh
day of June, 1865, and I tiled my bond and
had it approved before noon, and then went
down to the hotel and traded eighty acres
of land to a traveling man, for a span of
horses and a wagon, eat my dinner, drove to
Forest City, contracted for the square lum-
ber, and such other hard wood as I could
use, and before sundown delivered a load on
the site of the proposed building. The samv^

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night I bought the stone, being a lot that
had been blasted b.y Ernest Werner, and the
next morning started with my team for Mc-
Gregor, to purchase the balance of the lum-
ber, and order the iron doors for the vault,
and hardware. I was back on the tifth day,
with a load of lumber. It was fortunate
that energy was displayed at first, for it
rained almost incessantly, all the remainder
of the season, and some days I could only
haul two hundred feet at a load, from Forest
City. Of course the building was completed

on time.

During the season of 1S67, there was con-
siderable excitement as to the disposition of
the United States Land Grant for the build-
ing of a railroad on the forty-third parallel.
The coming Legislature was to have the
disposition of this grant, and the line secur-
ing the election of the most members in
their interest, was reasonably certain of se-
curing the grant. West Union. Fredericks-
burg and Bradford, were on what was known
as the southern line, and New Hampton and
Chickasaw, favored by the whole nortliern
part of the county, were in favor of having
it run through the center of the county, and
this line was known as the northern line.

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2S4 HISTOKICAL AND KEMIXISCENCES OF

It was found by tUe southern interest that
if they could secure an equal number of this
County's delegates with the northern line,
takinf]j into account the numl^er already in-
structed for Judoe Hitchcock, of Osage, who
was pledired to their interest, it insured their
success.

The delegation when elected, was equally
divided. This did not look veiy promising,
but we were 1:>ound to do the best we could.
I was left oti' the delegation, by request.
To make sure of their victory, McClintock
of AYest Union, who had special charge of
the southern interest, the day before the
convention, scat a couple of men to New
Hampton to watch my movements. I
divined their purpose at once, and when
the}' came to my ofiice, I was as affable as
possible, and chatted with them until supper
time, when I asked to be excused until after
supper, asking them to return and spend the
evening v/ith me. I had expected to go in
the afternoon to Charles City. After supper,
they joined me in my office, and I spent a
very pleasant evening with them, but as it
grew late I suggestd that as my wife
was alone. I would be obliged to bid them
good night. I went to my house, and was

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CHICivASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 2S5

aware that they were watcliiDg me. I
turned down the lamp, rolled up the curtains,
and then again turi?ed up the kimp, Tliis
gave outsiders a full view of my actions, and
I disrobed, as if preparing for bed, turned
out the lamp, and hastily redressing fol-
lowed so I could see them enter the hotel.
In a few minutes I could see their shadows
in their room, and after disrobing, they
turned out the light. I then wr;nt to my
stable and harnessed my horse, and before
breakfast time tlie next morning I was twenty
miles away, at Charles City, ready for the
convention-. The missionaries from West
Union returned the next morning and
reiDorted that everything was safe, as I had
not gone to the convention. In conferring
with the friends of CI. J. Patterson, he being
our candidate for senator, the prospect was
anything but encouraging, but wdien Howard
county delegation came, 1 thought I could
see a possible ray of hope, as two of the dele-
gates were my First Lieutenant and a Ser-
geant in my company, in the army. Of
course I was glad to see them, and made
known my wants. They informed me that
they had l)een instructed for Judge Hitch-
cock, and that if I would invent some way

2S6 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

for them to overcome that, the}' would vote
for my man. The}' finall}- agreed that if
they could get beyond the informal ballot,
they would support Patterson. I had a
short interview with Starr, who was looking
after the interests of Patterson, and it was
arranged that at the close of the informal
ballot, he was to make a motion at once for
a formal ballot, before any other motion
could intervene. There was no time to
explain, as I had got excused for a moment's
absence, after being seated at the dinner
table. On the informal ballot, Hitchcock
had two majority, and he and Patterson
supposed chat the contest was ended, and it
was with an efiort that Starr got the floor to
make his motion. The formal ballot pro-
gressed all right, and when my friends came
to vote, I handed them a ballot and the}'
cast for Patterson, giving him a majorit}' of
two. I threw up my hat, shouted, jumped
over the chairs and did everything I could
until I could get to Starr to have him make
a motion to adjourn before any motion
should be made for further action, and the
convention adjourned without even appoint-
ing a committee.
This was point number one gained, Tis-

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 2S7

dale having held the office one term, it was
thought that oppo^-ition to his nomination
woukl be futile, and he took the part}" nom-
ination as a matter of course. To make
assurance doubly sure, AYeller, of Nashua,
came out as independent, and it was fixed
so that we were in the condition of "heads
we lose, tails you win." and to supjtort either,
we would vote for the southern line.

0. M. Reynolds, the editor of the Courier,
and Dr. Mixer, espoused the cause against
Tisdale, and charges and countercharges
flew fast and furious. To make the hght
exciting, and to allay all suspicion, I es-
poused the sidB of the regular nominee, and
all circulars were met at once with one to
rebut anything that was said. It became
evident that there was something secret be-
ing prepared, and a lookout was established
to see if any bills were printed. It was re-
ported that the press had been at Avork one
night, and that they had counted by the
shadow when they took an impression, that
there were fifty impressions taken. Before
morning there had been an impi-ession taken
from the forms which they had failed to
distribute, and early in the morning an
answer was ready. The circular was sup-

JV7

2SS niSTOKICAL AND KEMIXISCENCKS OF

pressed, and again there \va> a like report
as the niglit before, and the type was dis-
tributed, and the Doctor took alt the copies
home, and it appeared that we were baffled,
but as luck would have it, there was a mis-
take when they took tlieir proof, and they
took the first proof impression to wipe otf
the forms with, and this they threw out, and
from this we were prepared the next morn-
ing with an answer.

Much blame was laid to the workman, but
they denie«I all complicity with securing the
copies. This circular met the fateof itspredi-
cessor, and was suppressed. The next night
the guard reported that fifty more impres-
sions had been taken, but in no way could a
copy be obtained. The watch was kept up
all night, and early in the morning they were
seen giving a boy a package in an envelope,
and the boy started towards Jacksonville.
As he went by the Brink House road, I took
the timber road past the old Vanaukeu place,
runniiig my horse over to Hartley's, about
two and one-half miles northeast of New
Hampton, when I turned and met the boy
just as he bad crossed the AVapsie. I asked
him if they had sent those circulars, as they
were in -a great hurry for them, and he

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, lOV/A. 2S9

assured me he had them. I then asked to
see them so as to he sure they were the riglit
ones, and he handed mo the envelope, and
after extracting one, I returned the envelope,
assuring him that they were the right ones
and that he must hurry. In an hour we had
an answer and presented it to the Courier
for printing, much to their surprise. I speak
of this to show how vigilent we were to keep
up the fight between Tisdale and A\'eller so
as not to arouse suspicion as to what we were
doing. In the meantime I had secured a
little printing press belonging to E. E. Adams,
the son of our Congregational minister, and
the young lad struck off the tickets with the
name of William Tucker for Representative,
running the press in the second story of the
Parsonage. The folio v^iug circular was
printed in like manner and distributed with
the tickets:

RAILROAD!

In pohticai strugojles it is the duty of each voter
to cast his ballot for the man who will carry out
his wishes.

The only question of vital importance to the
voters of Chickasaw county, in the election of Rep-
resentative is, shall the land granted by act of
(yongress to the State of Iowa to aid in the con-
struction of a railroad from McGregor westward
1^

290 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

on the 43d parallel, be taken from tlie compt.ny
runiiinp: from Calmar through the heart of Chick-
asaw Count}' and give to a new company running
from McGregor through West Union, Fredericks-
burg and Bradford?

The people of Fayette County, and southern
part of this County, are doing all in their power
to elect a member from this County, as they have
done for the last six years, who will represent to
the Legislature of Iowa that it is the wish of
Chickasaw County that the land grant should be
given to the company proposing to run through
West Union, Fredericksburg and Bradford.

Voters, is it 3'our desire that this should be
done? If it is not. and you desire to build up and
bring wealth and enterprise into northern and cen-
tral Chickasaw, the time has now arrived when you
must strike strongly and unitedU' in favor of the
man who will look well to your interests. But one
of the roads will be built, and that will be the one
obtaining the grant of land from the next Legisla-
ture. See Section 2, Chapter 144, of session Laws
of 1SC6.

Will you cast your ballots in your own interest
or in the interest of others?

ANSWER AT THE POLLS.

At the request of many voters whose interest is
at stake as well as my own, I have consented to be
a candidate for Representative, and pledge myself,
if elected, to use my utmost influence and energy

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CHICKASAW cor^;TY, IOWA. 291

to secure tlie Land Grant for the benefit of the
northern route if they comply with the law in
building the raiiroad.

Wm. Tucker.
CmcKASAw, October 7, 1867.

Just before election, and in tlie night time,
1 took the circular* and tickets, and begin-
ning at Stapleton, left a bundle with trusty
agents in every northern township. The
last town to be visited, was Chickasaw.
where Tucker lived, and as I came up the
hill from the north, I saw Tisdale and
Weller coming into town. T immediately
backed m}^ horse down the hill out of sight,
and leaving my horse in the brush, crossed
over the dam to the mill to see Tucker be-
fore the candidates should meet him. I
found him in the mill, and told him what
had been done. He was much excited, and
when I told him who was up town, he
wanted to know what he had better do. I
bad been nominated as Drainage Commis-
sioner, as a joke, that being an office with-
out duties or emoluments, and was passed
around from year to year for the fun that
could be gotten out of it. I told him to re-
fuse to commit himself to either of them, as
he was pledged to use all his infiaence for
my election, and that a pledp;e to either

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292 HISTORICAL AND KEMINISCEXCES OF

might liurt his chances. I rcciosted the
dam and Tucker started for up to"vvn. "Wring-
ing out my stockings, T went to my horse
and rode into town, arriving about the time
Tucker did, and jumping out shook his hand
warmly, and asked what my chances for
election were. He assured me he was re-
deeming his pledges to me by giving me
active support. Both condidates had a very
unsatisfactory interview with him, and as
they waxed warm trying to convince him
that my nomination was simply a joke, it
was fun to see with \vhat tenacity he stuck
by me. It was uot until election morninif
tha.t they were apprised of Tucker's candi-
dacy, when they reached New Hampton, on
their road from North Washington, wiiere
they had spoken the night before. On hear-
ing the report, Tisdale came to my office
and asked if it was so, and I informed him
that it was, and gave him a copy of the cir-
cular. He immediately started back to
North Washington, and I jumped upon my
horse and run her up the Wapsie, and
reached the polling place a mile ahead of
him. They had told each of the candidates
the night before that each would receive as
many votes as the other.

i)iii

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. . 293

As I stood concealed when Tisdale came
up, I heard him call B5'ers out and ask him
how it was running, and B3'ers told him thitt
he would get as many votes as Weller, but
that neither vrould get a single vote.
Tucker was voted for b}^ a solid north, while
the south was divided, and thus we made
our second point in electing Tucker. Some
one not in the secret, had reported that
Tucker was going to be a candidate on tlie
railroad issue, and Weller issued a circular
with the intent of placing himself right with
the north part of the count}'. As Tucker
was in ignorance of the move, when the cir-
cular of AVeller's appeared, he dechired he
was not and had never intended to be a can-
didate, and we took much pains to get this
denial before the people, lest the south part
of the county should believe it and concen-
trate on one of the other candidates. The
following is the Weller circular, written by
Dr. Mixer and printed by G. M. Reynolds:

FARMERS OF CHICKASAW COUNTY— READ AND
PONDER.

"Wm. Tucker, a played-out politician, a life-long
office-seeker, a man whom you never trusted, and
never gave a position, -svlio would not dare j)resent
himself on liis merits, — this man, is spruns: upon

294 HISTORICAL AND KEMIMSCEXCES OF

3*011 at the eleventh hour, aiul you are to bo inadc
to vote for him under the pretext that 3<nir ilai]
Eoad interests are in danger. The whole thincr is
a dodge! ^Ir. Weller's position is no secret! Kead
his letter! Don't permit \-ourself to be made the
victims of a Confidence Game:

Bradford, Iowa, Oct. 3d, JSG7.
To all Persojis whom it Jlay Concern:

In a card, published in the Nashua Po-:>t, and
New Hampton Courier^ I liave heretofore (as I
supposed in some unmistakable terms), set myself
before the people of ("liickasaw county, on the
question of the McGregor Railway, running west
on the line of the 43d parallel of latitude; in which
card I distinctl}' set forth that I favured no north,
nor south lines, nor au^' particular town, but tnat
if elected, I would use my iuiluence to secure the
application of the Land Grant to build a railway,
so as best to accommodate the people of the whole
county.

But certain persons in Nevv- Hampton, and other
towns in the north part of the county, desiring a
more explicit statement of my position, I wish to
sa}': That, in view of the fact that the McGregor
Western Hail way Co., have built forty miles of
road in substantial compliance with provisions of
the act of congress; and are now making a survey
preliminary to an extension of the road westward
through the central part of the county; I am there-
fore in favor of holding the land for said company

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CHICKASAM' COUNTY, IOWA. 295

on their compliance with the provisions of the
Grant; and if elected I cheerfull}- pledge my intiu-
euce, in and out of the legislature, in favor of such
action, L. H. Weller.

Tucker was an Englishman by birth, and
a fine specimen of a physical man. He was
faithful to his pledges on the railroad ques-
tion, and worked hard for the object his
constituents had elected him for, and the
the land grant was given to the northern
route, and this secured the road through the
center of the county. He is now^ in the
Treasury department at Washington, where
he has been for many years. After Tisdale
was defeated, he became agent for a school
book publishing firm, and also became con-
ductor of county school institutes- He was
employed by the county Superintendent of
this county, and gave a lecture to the teach-
ers. Dr. Mixer had been so active in oppo-
sition to his candidacy lor Representative,
that he could not withold a caustic criti-
cism of the effort, prompted, probably,
partly by feeling, and partly because it was
deserved. There was a reply, and a lively
personal war of words followed. In this
criticism, among other mild things, was the
following: "It evinced no study; showed

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296 HISTORICAL AXD IlEMINISCEXCES OF

no deliberation: was prepared with no care.
It had neither beginning nor ending; neither
premises or conclusions. It was a wild lar-
ago of senseless, sounding phrases, as discon-
nected as the words in the dictionary, and
as meaningless as the clatter of hailstones
upon the shingled roof."

To this there was a repi}' charging that
the critic was self-conceited, "which was the
effect of self-esteem and a great diploma,
obtained b\' graduating at some great insti-
tution of learning, in some great city, which
causes its possessor to get outside of the
region for which nature designed him, and
to frown at every thing that does not come
up to his exalted standard of perfection, not
realizing

How much a dunce who has been sent to Rome,
Excels a dunce that has been kept at home;
And how much lie who at true merit sneers
Excels a donkey, save in length of ears.

To this came the retort courteous, ''In
wallowing in filth, this man Tisdaie can
dive down deeper, stay longer, and come up
dirtier than any other man I ever saw\"

Had Mr. Tisdaie been possessed of suffi-
cient moral stamina, he would have had a ,
bright future before him, but he succumbed

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA.

297

to his passioii=j. nnd met the reward of those
who ignore the moral code, and prospects
faded and hope departed, and he sought
pleasure with those whose path lead down-
ward, and wholly disappeared to his oKl con-
stituency.

On the evening of the thir'icenth day of
February, 1S67, E. T. Runion was on his
way home from a trip to the east part of the
county, and when he came to the house of
W. E. Beach, about a half mile west of old
Jacksonville, he called to see his daughter,
who had married Frank Weed, a step-son of
Beach, leaving his team standing in the
road. His daughter, Hannah, decided to go
home with him, and handing her father a
bed quilt to be used as a wrap, they started
for the team. Just as they started the team
started also, and thinking that they would
overtake it in a few minutes, they followed.
When they had passed beyond the old Wolf
place at the top of the hill, it was open prai-
rie to New Hampton. With the team in
sight, they followed, expecting to overtake
it at once. Not more than a quarter of a
mile after striking the prairie, they were
struck by a blizzard, and the team disap-
peared from view, but they pressed on as

29S HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

fast as possible, thiukiuf]: that they would
overtake xt sood. Cominrr to two roads, the
team took the right hand oue and they the
left, it being a wood road that led much too
far south, and of course all prospect of over-
taking the team disappeared. The storm
was blinding and they soon lost the road
amid the drifts. Exhausted, Hannah could
walk no farther, and as the storm and dark-
ness prevented seeing any object, they
camped foi- the night, Runion wrapping the
girl with the bed quilt and kicking the^now^
around her to keep her from freezing.
Kunion stamped and w^alked around her
through the night, to keep himself from
freezing and to scare away the wolves that
were howling around.

When morning came he aroused his daugh-
ter for the purpose of gaining a habitation,
but found that her feet and legs were frozen
nearly to her knees, and that she could only
hobble a little with his aid. As the storm
was still raging he became convinced that
be alone could not succeed, and he decided
to protect her as well as he could and go for
help. Stamping the snow to get a place to
pi;otect her, he broke through the ice that
had been formed v/hen the water was high,

CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA.

299

and then receded, leaving a hollow cavitj
between the upper ice and the bed of the
creek. Into thi.-s he put the girl, and crowd-
ing down after her the bed quilt, he started
for help. Pie tinLiUy reached Vincent's, one
mile east of Xew Hampton, with his hands,
face and ears frozen. As soon as they could
thaw him out, they took a team and went
for the girl. To their dismay the phice
could not be found, and after hunting the
rest of the day, they returned to Vincent's.
The next morning the alarm was given and
the entire male population of Xew Hampton
started on the search. About ten o'clock
one of the searchers broke through where
she was, and to the surprise of all she was
alive. She was taken to the house of ^Ir.
Jolly, where she received medical aid. As
it subsequently appeared, when she was put
under the ice, her frozen feet broke through
the lower ice into the water. Not knowing
it, she left them there until the cold water
extracted the frost, ^he was, during this
time, in a semi-conscious state, amusing her-
self watching the fishes and hearing the
searchers calling her, sleeping during the
night.
She suffered but little from the exposure,

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300 HISTORICAL AND KEMINI6CENCES OF

only losing part of two toes. The same night
that they started for home, a compjuiy of
married people had gone with a four horse
team to Foi-est City, to spend the evening.
It was a mild and beautiful night, but there
were premonitions of a storm, and we started
back, meeting the blizzard about three miles
south of town. AVhen it struck us it was
blinding, and we set out men on each side
of the track to guard against losing it and it
was with much relief that the announcement
was made that they had struck David
Edwards' fence one and one-half miles south
of town. Men were kept along the fence
calling to the driver, so that he should not
go astray. The sleigh was blown over once,
and it was almost impossible to make the
horses beat against the storm. As we came
past Runion's house there was a light and
they were putting out his team that had left
him. When we goi home, the storm \>'as
terrible, and we run the horses into the barn
and left them with their harnesses on until
morning.

During the summer of 1863, C. O. Case
resigned his office as Clerk of the District
Court, to accept the position of station agent
at Waverly, and F. D. Bosworth wa»

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appointed to fill the vacancy. Bosworth
became au aspirant for election to the posi-
tion, at the fall election. The four southern
townships had a majority of one delegate
under the representation based upon the
preceding election, in the Repu))]ican con-
vention, and Boju'orth had carried all hut
Piichland, that being deemed secure, it heing
his own township. The arrogance of these
townships in dictating to the county who
should be nominated, had engendered con-
siderable feeling, and to this was left the
sting of former county seat difiiculties.

As a bitter partizau southern man, Bos-
worth was objectionable to most of the
northern voters. Partaking of this feeling
there was not a very strong desii-e for his
success, and a diversion was sought of some
of his delegates, by which his defeat might
be accomplished.

The day before the caucus in Richland
township, I made it in my way to pass from
Bradford to Williamstown, and as Zeiotes
Baily lived on that road, took pains to inter-
view him. He was found trying to plow a
small field of sickly, weedy corn, with an old
blind horse, he being driver and holder of
the plow. As he started from the road .-ido

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302 niSTOKICAL AND KEMINISCENCEP OF

to plow from the road, I hailed him, and he
stopped his horse and came to the feuce.
He had V)iit one suspender, wore a hat with
tbe rim half torn olf, was barefoot and with-
out coat or vest. In fact he was about as
true a specimen of discouragement as I had
ever seen.

After passing the time of day and speaking
about the prospect of a crop, he replied that
his health was very poor, that he had no
team, and that he was about discouraged. I
then suggested that he run for clerk, and
assured him that If he could secure his town-
ship delegation, he would be nominated the
next day. After a few moments of reflec-
tion, he ^^aid he believed he could, and un-
hitching hi.-5 horse, hanging the harness on
the fence and turning his horse into the
road, he started for "Uncle Hi's,*' and that
night secured the delegates from Richland
township. This secured his nomination,
and he was elected and held the office for
the three following terms. His health be-
came so impaired, he never having recov-
ered from his army exposure, he was obliged
to leave the office.

Zelotes was brother to the first bride it
was my pleasure to see married in the

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 303

coimty, and be had a brother, T. S. Bailey,
who aided him in erecting the first brick
kiln bnrued in the count}', and who was
generally known by the nick-name of "Tip,"
and at the breaking out of the rebellion, lie
was struggling along, trying to get an edu-
cation, paying his way b}' his own exertions.
At the call of his country for volunteers, he
entered the militar}' service, and joined the
Third Iowa Infantry. He lost a hand at the
battle of Jackson, I\Iiss., and returned to his
studies, with the additional disadvantage of
having but one hand with which to Ijattle
for subsistance, and carve his way to success.
He worked his way through his studies and
entered the ministry, and attained to the
position of State Secretary for Iowa, and has
charge of all Presbyterian missions and mis-
sionary churches in the state. Cut off b}^
the loss of his hand from pursuing a life of
manual labor, he has developed his head and
heart in a way that almost makes us thank-
ful that the current of his life was changed
beyond his control. As a Christian gentle-
man and servant of his Master, he stands the
peer of the foremost, and the eloquence and
soundness of his discourses, added to his
executive ability, make him one of the lead-
ins: i^nd marked men of the state.

fO"t
109

lie;

304 nisTomcAL and kp:miniscknces of

F. ^F. llaislet was attracted to Clncl^asaw
county, by )-epre;<entations of particb that
there was a chance to make a successful
venture in the newspaper business, as there
was but one paper at the county seat, and
that ho could become spokesman for au
opposition that had i-oveuges and heartlnirn-
iugs, and that he could become an oi)position
orf>an- Up to this time the press h.ad beau
moved by high principle and a spirit of fair
dealing, and had ignored all personal jour-
nalism, and the safety of personal character
was assured, but there were those who felt
that they should like to see the moral and
religious element humiliated, oi- at least
made to suffer the darts of a disturber. The
sco'rner. the discontented, the disappointed
and constitutionally sour, were elements
that wore to welcome any paper that should
raise tlie "skull and cross bones" and float
the pirate flag. This was not only done edi-
torially, but in fact, by having the "skull
and cross bones'' painted as a sign. There
was this commendable thing about it, it did
not sail under false colors. It came down
"like a wolf upon the fold," and made itself
a reputation and a place as an exponent of
opposition.

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CHICKASAW COUNTY. IOWA. 305

With .1 good intellect, a fair discerner of
events, the Tribune had no politics, but used
its influence to build up a kind of personal
party, trying to make selection out of both
l^arties, and for a consideration, boom them.
If perchance they were elected, they were
pointed as the fruits of the Tribune influ-
ence; and if they were defeated, they passed
into innocuous desuetude, and their defeat
soon passed into oblivion.

This appeared to be its settled policy until
the county became democratic, when the
''skull and cross bones" were hauled down,
and it came out democratic. That this will
be its settled policy is more than probable,
for the county appears to be uuchangably
democratic.

Under the promptinf2:s of a returning con-
sciousness, and while nature wa> adminis-
tering a stern rebuke during her hours of
recuperation, his better nature has moved,
and some of the best temperance lectures
have flowed from his pen, and the exclam-
ation has been, *'What might have been.''

These attempts have been spasmodic and
succeeding issues have shown that he had
again drank some inspiration that reversed
these convictions, or that he had been dealt

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with by bi^ I'ollowei's as recalcitrant to tbe
code that bad given him prominence. That
he should have such lapses seems strange
for he bas had a home life that has been in
every way adapted to develop his better
aspirations.

As the years go by there it a mellowing
of invective, personal character is more
respected, and there appears to be a desire
to escape the mark of Cain that he may feel
that every man's hand is not against him.
Since writing the above the Tribune has
been sold to other parties, and in his edito-
rial valedictory the editor shows that he
realizes that gveener pastures must b3
sought, and that ''natural selections" (by the
purse) has had its day, and that the type of
politics has become fixed in this field. J
append his vah^dictory on leaving the Tri-
bune, and I judge by its tone that it passed
through the alembic of his own feelings:

"Why did you sell?" I have been asked ii hun-
dred times. There are many reasons, chief atnoug
which is ill liealth. Another is rather a singular
one, but it has much weight in my case. From
early childhood I have been galled beyond endur-
ance by aiiything bearing the semblance of slavery.
In boyhood days I was terrified by beinij locked in

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. H07

a room with the key on the opposite side. Wheu
in Dccorah, a number of years a.cro, "we boys''
used to visit the ice cave and there was one pLice
about ten feet lonfj where a man of ordinary size
could enter by crawling. Fear of getting fast in
that hc.^ xjas " raised the hair on my head " many
a time. ''"What has all this to do with it?"' you
ask. Simply this: To be compelled to run a rank
partisan paper; that the character of the nominee
must not be taken into consideration— in line, to
have wha<- little intellect one possesses bolted in,
and a padlock on his mouth, is too much for me. If
I cannot write what I think I shall not write at all-
Time was, in Chickasaw county, when a man could
conduct a democratic paper, maintain his self-
respect, and still make money; but according to
my way of thinking that cannot now be done by
any man holding my views. There are to many
partisan bosses, bull-heads, and office-seekers, mul-
tiplying without number, to suit ray taste. All
this is slaver}- in my case and I cannot brook it.
However, I hare much to be grateful for, and
many heartfelt thanks to extend to the good and
generous people of Chickasaw county.

Id the fall of 1S70 C. A. Harris, of Chick-
asaw^ was put ia Domination tor Recorder,
by the Republicans. The Democrats put in
Domination L. R. Vanburen for the same
office, and J . ]\I. Liiliiland for Clerk. It Ije-
came evident that C. 0. Case was to be elected,

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oUS HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

aucl GilliUiiul secured u change, he becoiiiini,^
the nominee for liecorder. and the other
uoininee on the Democratic ticket for clerk,
'ihe central committee had the Democratic
tickets printed with Gilliland as Recorder, but
by some oversight, there were none sent to
Stapleton township, and thej' sent over for
two hundred straight Democratic tickets.
Dimick Reyuolds was then foreman in the
Courier oliice, and either from design, or by
mistake, he printed the tickets as nominated
by the convention, and Stapleton voted for
Gilliland for Clerk, in place of liecorder,
and he was defeated by eiglit plurality. C.
A. Harris was elected for the four following
successive terms. At the close of his official
career, he went into the commercial busi-
ness, but not meeting the success he antici-
pated, he left that calling and went into a
hotel, which has continued to be his busi-
ness up to the present time. He is now, JS04,
in Eldora, Hardin county.

In 18(39 G. W.Butterfield had been elected
Representative over D. B. Hanan and Wm.
Tucker as competitors. In 1S71 Hanan
again became bis competitor, and Tucker
running independent, detached ^ enough
voters to give Hanan the election.

CniCKASAW COUNTY. 10 V,' A. 300

Hanaii was takeu sick soon aftei- bis elec-
tion, and was conlined to his room during
the entire session of the Legishiture, being
able to leave his room for the first time on
the day of its adjournment.

It u'as a facetious remark that this term
of Hanan's oilicial life presented the cleanest
record of any man's that was ever elected
to the position. Notwithstanding he was
unable to appear and qualify, the Legisla-
ture gave him his salary, but no traveling
fees.

In 1S78 F. D. Bosworth was nominated by
the Republicans, and D. B. Hanan by the
Democrats. During the campaign there
were complications in connection with the
election of State Senator that materially
interfered with Bosworth 's success-
It was generally understood that in the
Senatorial Di,-tijct, which was composed of
Hovv'ard, Bremer and Chickasaw counties.
that the Senator was to come to Chicka.sa\v
county. Bremer holding her convention
first, lliram Bailey went before her conven-
tion and claimed to be the choice of Chicka-
saw county, and secured instructions of that
delegation to himself. When Chickasaw
came to hold her convention, in place of in-

t>10 nisTor.iOAL and reminiscenced of

structiug for Bailey, ber delegates were
instructed for A. J. Felt.

Howard count}^ came instructed for a man
of her own. Thus Bailey was a candidate
in opposition to his own county. The feel-
ing of the Bremer delegation was decidedly
in favor of Felt, but they considered them-
selves bound by their instructions. The
balloting was continued until adjournment
for supper, when it was agreed that on the
second ballot after supper, Bremer delegates
Avould vote for Felt.

Learning this, there was a successful effort
made to have Howard's delegates go to Bailey
on the tirst ballot after supper, and thus the
nomination of Bailey was secured, notwith-
standing a large majority of the convention
personally preferred Felt. Bailey was noti-
fied and appeared before the convention, and
it was fortunate that it was after the nomi-
nation in place of before, so far as his candi-
dacy was concerned. It was arranged that
the friends of Bailey should take charge of
his interests, and Bailey was to remain on
his farm.

The friends of Felt were chagrined that he
should have been beaten by a man of Bailey's
caliber, and called a convention, with a view

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CniCKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 311

of putting him in the field ii:^ a people's can-
didate.

At this convention Wni. Tucker wa.s also
an aspirant, and when che convention met,
wes clearly the choice of tlie convention, but
the call had been made to nominate Felt,
and no obstacle was to deter them.

Tellers were appointed favorable to Felt,
and when the vote was announced. Felt was
declared the nominee notwithstanding Tuck-
er had a majority, and the ballots were scat-
tered upon the floor. Felt at once challenged
Bailey for joint discussions but Bailey's
friends insisted that he should stay at home
and pose as an honest granger, obliged to
attend to his farm work.

This did not meet the ideas of Bailey, for
his nomination had so inflated him with the
idea of his ability, that he accepted the
challenge.

Of course Felt's friends stood by him, and
when he went to his first appointment, in
Bremer county, he was accompanied with a
long string of carriages containing his sup-
porters, and Capt. Lucas put in an appear-
ance to see what could be done for Ba:ley.
Felt had things his own way, as Bailey
lacked both ability and experience, and Felt

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bi'J HISTUKICAL AXD IIZMINESCE-NXES OF

lacked neither. ]3iiiley was at sea and
became angry, calling Felt names and
charging him with heing a liar. Lucas was
disgusted, and told Bailey that he was
defeated. Just at daylight the next morn-
ing/Bailey called me out and telling me the
trouble, wanted to know what to do. I
repeated my first advice, and told him to jjo
home and stay there.

When Lucas arrived home, he found a
batch of coupons cut oft" from a lithographed
railroad bond, that I had sent him, on which
Felt's name appeared as secretiiry. Taking
these he put in an appearance at the next
meeting and asked the privilege of appear-
ing for Bailey, who had been called home by
urgent farm matters. Leave was granted,
and Lucas made a vigorous attack upon
Felt as Secretary of a snide railroad that
was levying taxes and issuing bonds to
swindle the farmer and tax-payer. When
Felt came to reply, he denied that he was in
any way connected with a railroad that h--id
issued bonds, denied that any bonds had
been issued, and in general called Lucas a
prevaricator. When Lucas came to repl}^
he produced the coupons, signed by Felt as
secretary of the company. Felt wanted to

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 313

see them, but Lucas ?aid tliat any other man
iu the meeting might take them. l)ut not
Felt, for "a man that would lie would steal,"
and that he wanted to keep them. Felt pro-
tested that he never signed any bonds, but
admitted that the signature was his. Lucas
and the others believed that Felt w^as faUify-
ing, but he was telling the truth. Felt did
not know of the existence of the bonds, the
same having been lithographed under the
auspices of the President of the road, with-
out his knowledge.

There had been some difficulty about the
payment for lithographing, and one of the
bonds had been slashed, and with the
attached coupons, sent to me to collect pay-
ment for the job. I took the remainder of
the coupons not sent to Lucas, to Howard
county, and gave a coupon to each Grange
in the county, Howard county was tuU of
Granges then, and secured the endorsement
of both political parties of Bailey's candi-
dacy, and a bitter denunciation of Felt as a
railroad swindler. Learning late one evening
that J. M, Hooker of Louia. was seen going
east on the cars. I surmised that he was
enroute for Howard county, in the interest
of Felt. I started across the country and

ol4 niSTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

ll]8 next moraino^ met him coming' soutl)
from Cre^co, und on asking him lio.v things
looked, he said "you have put it up wicked
and well.*' On returning in the night fol-
lo\Ying, I got lost on the prairie and hrought
up at Frank Dane's ahout two o'clock in the
morning. Felt carried Chickasaw and Bremer
counties with good majorities, but tailed to
overcome Howard's solid vote, and Bailey
was elected. In securing the defeat ot Felt,
we believed we were paying him for his
perfidy to our friends, bat we have always
doubted if v/e did not pay too great a price
for our victory. We certainly missed the
broarder view that Felt would have had.
In this fight Bosworth was sacrificed on the
senatorial altar and Hanan was elected.

In the fall of 1S71, W. W. Birdsall having
held the ofiice of County Treasurer for three
terms, became an aspirant for the fourth
term. As he had been in position to place
many parties under obligation to him, and
as his official life had made him an expert in
using- his friends, he was able to manipulate
the township caucuses so as to give himself
a majority in the county convention, and
secured the nomination at the hands of the
republicans. There was a large wing of the

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CniCKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 315

republicans who were opposed to bis bold-
iug tbe office anotber term. In fact tb'^re
bad grown up a general dissatisfaction, it
being claimed tliat holders of county war-
rants, which were at- great discount, could
not get them cashed, and that they were
forced to sell them to the Chickasaw County
Bank, and that when there were county funds
in tbe treasury, tbe bank always appeared to
know it before ariy other holder of county
warrants. It was thought useless to try and
beat him with au independent republican,
for his family relations would carry a
majority of the democrats, and the prestige
of being the regular candidate would hold
a majority of the republicans. In searching
for an opposing candidate it must be some
one that could hold the Catholic and Irish
vote. After a full canvass it was decided to
bring out John Foley, a young Ii-isbman,
living on Crane creek, in Jacksonville town-
ship. There were some reasons why he
should not be the candidate, and, among
others, his intense partisanship and his bel-
ligerenc3\ Time has shown that this belig-
erency was but the exuberance of Irish impet-
uosity, for no more considerate or tolerant
gentleman lives in the county ttian Mr. Fole}'.

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<jlb HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

The fight during the campaigQ was bitter and
called out some of the most scathing articles,
which were written by Dr. Mixev under a
nom de plume, and published in the Xew
Hampton Courier. Foley was elected, and
thus he entered upon his successful career,
holding the oflice of County Treasurer four
consecutive terms. He also desired to con-
tinue in the office, but there was a revulsion
of feeling against one man continuing so
long in office, and he was defeated by J. A.
Green.

It was more than intimated that he too
was not entirely void of offense, in forming
rings to control the township caucuses, in
his own interest, and even his own party
aided to give a rebuke. That this feeling
was ephemeral, v;as shown by his party
electing him as a member of the state legis-
lature.

After the second term of Hanan in the
legislature, Frank Dane,' of Jacksonville,
became an aspirant for the office of Repre-
sentative, and had carried enough of the
township caucuses to give him the nomina-
tion, if he carried his own township,,
which was conceded to him. Their caucus
was to be held the ni;,'ht before the county

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CHICKASAW COrNTY, IOWA. 317

convpution. ;ilh1 all unsu.-pe<!tingly ami in
full coufidcnce, Dane went to the caucus,
expecting that as a matter of course that
delegates would be selected in his interest.
To his surprise he found that McHugh. of
Lawler, had come into the township and
secured the co-operation of some of Dane's
neighbors, and by importing men, both
Democrats and liepublicans, from Stapleton,
secnred the election of delegates in the in-
terest of McHugh. Of course this took Dane
out of the tield. Subsequently the Demo-
crats proposed that they would support
Dane in good faith if he would come out as
an independent candidate, and as there
were man}* Republicans who felt that the
means used to defeat him in his own town-
ship, were unjustified, and that they v/ould
like to support him, Dane consented. The
Democrats appeared to be working in good
faith until the last moment, when the man
who was taking the ballots to Washington
township, containing the name of Dane,
was overtaken and he was induced to return
to New^ Hampton and destroy the ballots
first received, and supple their place with
McHugh ballots. As he was burning the
Dane ballots he exultingly exhibited a hun-

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3 IS nisToniCAL a:;d ki:mixi?cknces of

dred dollars he claimed for the job, exclaim-
ing, '"Here is the monej' that is to carrj'
Korth Washington for John McHugh." but
refused to tell who gave it to him. There
was much interest taken in the campaign,
and among other things, there was issued a
circular, a set of verses in the interest of
Dane, of which the following is a copy:

DANISH LYRICS.

Come over the Wapsie and Cedur.
. Come over the Turkey and Craue,
And rally arouud our Old Leader,

And vote for HONEST FRANK DANE!
Come out from the Grove and the Prairie,

Come out from die Hill-side and Plam,
And though toil-worn with harvest and weary,

Come out for Old Honest Frank Dane.
Come out then, my fine Irish yeoman,

Come out then, in Sunshine or rain,
Come Yankee and Norseman and German,

And rally round Honest Frank Dane.
Thcv say he is lank and ungainly,

They say he is coarse in the grain.
But his heart it is true, and all vainly

They sneer at Old Honest Frank Dane.

He is honest like Abe, and as homely,
And faithful to friends will remain.

And liis foes are all false, thouirh more comely,
Then hurrah for Old Honest Frank Dane.

CHIOKAS-.VW COUNTY, IOWA. 319

He is six foot and upwards in stocking,
And he stands without blemisli or staiu,

And good tlioughts forever are flocking
Arouud the kind heart of Old Dane.

He has wallowed through snows of hard winters,
He has waded through njud with his train,

And smash all our timber to splinters
If we turn on Old Honest Frank Dane.

Money lender, and buyer and seller,

May come with the tricks which are vain,

But kid gloves and shoes of prunella.
Won't win against Honest Frank Dane.

For his hands are all horny with labor,
His feet have gone bare o'er the plain,

And he loveth and heipeth his neighbor;
Who shouts for Old Honest Frank Dane.

He soweth the grain that he reapeth,
And his head is as sound as the grain.

All tender and true his heart keepeth
This Honest Old Farmer Frank Dane.

He has earned what he's got, and no bummer
Shall treat him with scorn or disdain;

Then away with your starched up new comer.
And Hurrah for Old Honest Frank Dane.

Come over the Wapsie and Cedar,

Come over the Turkey and Crane.
Come rally around our Old Leader,

And vote for Honest Frank Dane.

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320 niSTORICAL A>.'D KKMINISCENCES OF

In Lawlev these lines were parodi^^'-l and
sung in the saloons when there was a lull
head of McHugh inspiration, closinir each
stanza with the refrain, "To hell with old
Frank Dane/' McIIagh was elected, but
Dane carried a majority of the republican
vote, and it was generally conceded that if
it had not been for the Washington episode,
and if th.ere had been no religious influence
brought to bear, McHugh being a Catholic,
Dane would have been elected. Dai e came
out of the campaign retaining his full self-
respect, and continued to hold that of his
fellow-citizens.

Frank Dane entered the county in lSo4
driving a pair of oxen attached to the for-
ward part of a bob sled upon which was his
supplies for himself and team. He com-
menced building a log hou^e upon his claim
in Jacksonville, he being the third settler in
the township, and occupied his new house as
a bedchamber before the roof was completed.
Sleeping where his vision was unobstruced
from gazing upon the sparkling diamonds
that bespangled the vaulted roof above him,
the handiwork of Plim ''that maketh the
seven stars of Orion," he closed his eyes to
peaceful slumber, the sweet reward of honest

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 821

toil tlmt briDgs a morn of refreshed and
vitalized vigor for the labors of another day.
Industry, econoni}^ an.d good jiigment have
been his, and these, supplemented by a strong
and enduring constitution, have all conspired
to bring success, and he now has the largest
farm, the most profitable herds, and the full-
est granaries, of an}'- farmer in the county.
And the reward is not nn merited, nor the
accumulation unjust.

A native of Vermont, receiving his >first
experience amid the rocks and hills of that
sterile state, knowing more of work than of
thought, more of physical than mental action,
slow to develop, weighted as he was with
physical eftbrt in making a home in the wilds
of the west, it was many years before he
became conscious of the hidden force that lay
within, uncultured, undeveloped and untried
as it was, and when i^ dawned upon him, his
astonishment was as great if not greater,
than that of his friends, and although not
always expressing himself clasically, he has
developed a power that makes one sigh for
what might have been, had his opportunities
been equal to his possibilities. His wife has
been a veritable help meet, and "xVunt Jane"
will long be remembered as one that brought

322 HISTORICAL AND KKMIXISCENCKS OF

sunstine wherever she was known. The
neighbors who aided in his defeat, have some
of them been aspirants for public favors, but
as yet success has not perched as a crowning
chaplet upon their brows, and the future
does not present glowing prospects for their

success.

In 1S72 R. 0. Sheldon was elected sheriff
and held the office for live consecutive
terms. At his first and second elections he
was opposed by Horton Manderville of
Nashua. He was first elected as a^ Eepub-
lican, but as time went on party afliliations
hung loosely and he built up a ''Sheldon
party," and it was more than intimated that
he looked after his personal interests with
more care than after official duties.

He carried scores of unserved executions
and it was the current belief that every exe-
cution debtor against whom he held
unserved executions was his staunch sup-
porter. His methods of electioneering were
peculiarly his own. It was reported that
while with the Irish, he claimed that his
name was R. O'Sheidon, and with the Nor-
wegians that his initals stood for Ilye Ole
Sheldon. The ten years during which he
held the office were the most lucrative evei

Ac:

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 323

known iu the county, reacbing us high as
S7,000 per annum, but he failed to develop
any talent for accumulating and when he
took off his official robes he was a poor man.

In running for his sixth term he was con-
fronted by his old antagonist, H. iMauder-
ville, and results showed that his ten years
fitting had developed his running qualities
so that he passed the pole ahead of his old
opponent. He held the office for two terms
and made a very efficient officer. He was a
man of many good qualities, an inveterate
joker, a jolly companion, and although a
bachelor, he had a warm place in his heart
for children (and sometimes for their moth-
ers) and many a sorrow has been soothed,
and many a burden made lighter by his
timely benevolence, and although his inter-
pretation of some parts of the decalogue was
not strictly orthodox, he never let his right
hand know what his left hand did.

Wm.B. Perrin was elected the tvro succeed-
ing terms of the legislature, having for his
opponent, the first term, 0. K. Hoyt, and the
second term his opponents were George
McCaughey, who was a candidate of the
Grangers, and Michael Piies, of North AVash-
ington, who was the democratic candidate.

224 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

As Perrin was unacciuaintcd with many of
the people iu the north part of the county,
he invited me to make the canvass with him,
and I found him, what I knew before, a gen-
tleman of culture and ability, and one who
could appreciate favors received, with as
much warmth, and acknowledge them with
as much gratitude, as " favors to come,*' and
this is a rare gift among politicians, for in
my experience of over a third of a century,
he is one of the three that were in political
life, who was possessed of that virtue. It
was my fortune to visit the State Capital
during the session of the legislature in
which he was serving, and I was proud of
him as our representative, and could but
contrast his standing, as compared with his
predecessor, who was obliged to vote against
a resolution of his own introducing, he not
having the sagacity to comprehend its politi-
cal significence until it was beaten into him
by his party associates. Modest and retir-
ing, almost to a fault, he will never pose as
a candidate, of his own volition, yet he will
never shrink from a public duty that be
believes that he should perform, and what
he does will be faithfully and well done.
0. K. Hoyt, his opponent, was a young man

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. oL'O

with an cphemei'ally brilliant mind, that
flashed forth like a meteor, but want of cor
rect personal habits, did for him, what it
has done for so many brilliant minds,
wrecked him before his usefulness was hardly
begun.

George McCaughey, who was brouglit out
by the "Granger" clement, as one of the
candidates that I'uu against Perrin at his
second election, was a man of sterling worth,
handicapped somewhat by his large family
and by an official bee in his bonnet. He had
served as a member of the board of super-
visors, and had shown himself possessed of
practical business talent. The grange move-
ment had mounted several unpracticable
hob"l)ies, and of course was to run a brief
career and the hobby horse died, as a politi-
cal party, with the ride of this candidate for
legislative honors. The Democrats nomi-
nated ^lichael IHes, of Washington township,
and he was a man of more than ordinary
ability, having been justice of the peace and
general business adviser to his neighbors for
many years. Tie was no politician, and
could have be-en beaten by any shrewd poli-
tician, even if his party had been in the
majority, which it was not, having been

32G HISTORICAL AND IlEMINISCENCES OF

depleted bj'' the c^raDge movement. Ries
stands as one of the best and most reliable
men in the county, and ranks next to Frank
Dane in his landed possessions. He came
to Chickasaw county in 1S5S, and purchased
a small farm that has continued to enlarge
as year after year he has added the results
of earnest toil.

There is one subject that gives me pain to
speak of, as it shows the moral trend of the
practical workings of modern politics. For
years after T came to the county, it would
have been the death knell of any man run-
ning for office, to have had it known that he
used money to induce any one to use his
time or influence to secure votes. This was
so cardinal a principle that a candidate that
was expected to carry a layge majority came
near losing his election for the reason that
the report got out that he had sent money to
one township to buy a barrel of beer with
which to influence voters, and this was
before the days of prohibition. Probably
the first demand of any significance upon
t4ie managers of a party came from Jack-
sonville from a man that demanded twenty-
tive dollars for his influence in controlling
the Norwegian vote of the northeast part of

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CHICKASAAY COUNTY, lOVvW. 6]1 i

tlie county. Under the stress of the occa-
sion, as part}' snccess appeared donbtful, the
committee weakly yieh;]ed and paid the sum
demanded. It appeared to have accom-
plished its object and the voters cast their
suffrages as desired, but it is very donbtful
if it was caused by the influence of the
hired party, for experience has shown that
no class of i)eople are more moved from
principle than onr Scandinavian citizens.
At the next election the committee found
themselves confronted with the same proposi-
tion, and for three con.secuiive years the
twenty-five dollars was paid.

A new chairman was placed at the head
of the -central committee, when this demand
was if^nored and his influence counteracted,
as against the party, by reportin.i;- the man
who was claiming to deliver the vote of his
countrymen on sale, and if he ever had any
influence with them, his locks were shorn
as closelj' as was the victim's of Delilia's
perfidy. The reaction against him left
him in a very unenviable position and he
never again became the almoner of an elec-
tioneering fund.

While he was disposed of, it opened the
door to an abuse that was bound to grow,

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328 HISTORICAL AND RKMIXISCENCES OF

and while the sums demanded have gener-
ally been very modest, claiming, ostensibly,
to charge only for time spent, yet no chair-
man of a central committee but what is
importuned for funds for ''personal work,''
and this has grown to such an extent that a
new man running for otfice in the county is
appalled at the demands made, and the class
of men making them. There are many men
of pronounced political faith that give a
candidate of their party to understand that
if they are not remembered in a substantial
way, their success will be problematical, at
least. These men are known in both parties
and provision is made to dispose of their
claims, either by political promises, submit-
ting to their demands, or by counteracting
their influence by giving out their offer to
buy and sell their followers, which generally
acts as a squelcher, for voters rebel against
being creatures of barter. Not only does
this destroy his power to deliver, but places
him in a position where he generally votes
his party ticket with considerable ostenta-
tion, to show that there is nothing merce-
nary about him, but that he is actuated by
the highest of motives, that of standing by
his principles. There is quite a large per

SL'I

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 329

cent, and has beeu for years, of voters while
professedly belonging to one party or the
other, have no fixed principles, l)nt are sub-
ject to temporary influences, cither material
or personal. These are what is called the
"floating vote,'' and a list is kept and most
of the tine work of our later political cam-
paigns has been with this class of voters.
The minority party is at a disadvantage with
this class for the reason that the probable
defeat of a candidate does not tend to open
bis purse, and further, many like to be on
the winning side so that they can dilate
about our victory.

I have known of some laughable occur-
rences in this buying influence. X. demo-
cratic candidate for clerk desired to secure
a line of Norwegian votes and went to a man
who claimed he could deliver him twent}^ of
his friends and relatives who generally voted
the other way, and the candidate paid him
ten dollars for his services in seeing that
they were all at the polls and voted for him.
The chairman of the republican committee
hearing of this, he being a candidate for a
county oflQce himself, requested me to go
with hira and have an interview with this
man who claimed he could delivei'the votes,

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330 HISTORICAL AND REMINISCENCES OF

and wlien we found him he complacently
gave US the facts, but was finally persuaded
to retain his allegiance to his own party,
and received an additional ten dollars for
special work that was to be done for his own
party on election day. The day before
election, the democratic candidate heard of
what had been done and went to see about
it. All the facts in connection with the
transaction were freely given to him and he
reinforced his former influence with an addi-
tional five dollars and left in high glee,
thinking that he had outwitted the Piepub-
licans by having the last interview. The
next day being election, the much influenced
man stayed at home and dug potatoes all
day, retaining his twenty-five dollars with
an innocent smile. Much of this pernicious
growth has been fostered by some of the
newspapers, they making it a point to treat
an election as a time to tax candidates for
supporting them. While this has been
more marked with a kind of piratical jour-
nalism, yet these are not the only ones not
without sin, for I have known papers that
claimed to be organs of a party, demand
hundreds of dollars for supporting the regu-
lar nominee oi the party. The claim was

,08h

CHICKASAW COUNTY, IOWA. 331

put upon the ostensible "Touncl that they
had a costly plant and could not afford to
carr3' the investment unless candidates paid
thora for their support. This fallacious posi-
tion has too frequently been yielded to, for
these self-same papers hold their standing
and sustain their circulation and advertis-
ing patronage largely because they are the
organs of a party, and the party^ has just as
moral and legal right to make demand of
them for this influence as they have to
demand payment of a representative of the
party for support.

Much of this deplorable practice has been
remedied by the reform ballot. Quite
recently a brother democrat, one who has
been high in the councils of his psrty, said
to me, that the success of a certain party as
a candidate would be assured if the ballot
was as, it used to be, ''for then we could
'rush the growler' on the quiet, and then
take the voter by the collar, and placing a
ballot in his hand, lead him to the polls and
see that he voted it all right." All hail that
day when we can feel and know that a ballot
always represents an intelligent conviction
of principle.

In stating early memories there are many

9}t£i

832 niSTOKiCAL and reminiscences of

things that come crowding in, and there is a
long procession of old timers that come
marching before me. but it would be impos-
sible to mention them in detail, or give the
iacidents connected with each; and, as I
trust that others may be prompted to give
their early experiences, I desist from multi-
plying the number receiving mention by me.
To detail events nearer the present time,
would divest them of the reminiscent and
make a statement of current events. That
there is crudeness in presenting these inci-
dents of the past, none can more fully appre-
ciate than myself, and many will condemn
the selections; such is the fate of all effort,
but I have enjoyed recounting them, and
hope that others may be incited to record
their experiences, and thus perpetuate from
memory what otherwise will soon pass into
oblivion.

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